


Overseas

by FlyAndDontLookBack



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Alternate Universe, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-15
Updated: 2017-10-13
Packaged: 2018-05-26 20:32:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 77,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6254866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlyAndDontLookBack/pseuds/FlyAndDontLookBack
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the dreaded Teiko/Meiko match, the GoM can't find Kuroko anywhere. When Momoi is forced to tell them that he has moved to LA without informing them, Akashi decides to bring him back, whether he likes it or not. However, when they get there and see Kuroko in the flesh, they will be in for a massive shock.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

That day, when it was raining outside and everyone was hyped up for the last match of the middle school year, he knew something terrible was going to happen. He had a feeling that this day, he would not be able to live with his friends any longer.

And he was right.

He didn’t have this terrible feeling when he was forcibly taken out because of his head injury, nor when he asked Akashi to not take the finals lightly.

No. It was neither of those times.

It wasn’t even when he forced himself to go out of the infirmary and check the TV that was broadcasting the match live. He saw the crushing defeat of Meiko. He saw the team grudgingly walk to the middle of the court to bow and say that they had a good match when it wasn’t.

It was neither of those times.

It was when the camera zoomed in on the score 111-11 to Teiko, and it then zoomed to his childhood friend having his eyes widen and his fists clench.

He knew and his friend knew what Teiko had done to Meiko.

And that was when he knew that he would not be able to live longer.

* * *

“Where’s Tetsu?” Aomine yelled at the nurse who was currently cowering at his intense gaze.

“I - I don’t know. I went out for a second to get some new bandages and the next thing I know, he’s gone. I’m sorry!” The nurse tried to calm the raging basketball player but to no use. The others were out looking for the phantom player as well.

Yes, they admitted that Kuroko was barely help to the team anymore, but that didn’t mean they weren’t still friends who worried for each other, even if they didn’t really show it.

“Akashi, I can’t find him anywhere.” Midorima supplied as he ran towards Akashi, soaking wet from checking outside the stadium. Akashi, on the other hand, said nothing and stood still, but anyone who knew him as well as the Generation of Miracles did would notice the way his fists were clenching with unbearable strength.

Akashi was not angry. He was absolutely furious. Not so much because Kuroko was gone, but because he didn’t know where he went. And Akashi knew everything.

“Aka-chin, can we go? He’s not here.” Murasakibara slurred though he seemed to be out of breath.

“Not until we find him.” Akashi responded coldly.

“But we checked everywhere. He really isn’t here.” Murasakibara tried to persuade but Akashi wouldn’t budge.

“Check one more time.” He ordered and Murasakibara left it at that. Akashi was already on edge, and Murasakibara cared too much for his life to just waste it away here.

It was another hour after Kuroko went missing that Akashi finally called off the search. What Murasakibara had said before was right. Kuroko was gone and he was not seen in or out the stadium.

“We’ll see him tomorrow at school, anyways. We can talk to him there.” Kise said and the others nodded, Aomine especially since they were in the same class. Akashi just nodded without saying anything and he quickly dismissed the team.

The others, while walking away, all gulped simultaneously because they knew that if Akashi didn’t know where Kuroko was, he would explode and kill anyone in his way.

And they would be his first victims.

* * *

The day after the final match, Kuroko was nowhere to be found. Aomine had kept a close eye to the doorway because he knew that Kuroko had a knack for entering like a ghost. A few minutes after the bell rang, signifying the start of first period, Aomine still had his eyes on the door and felt a horrible doubt surging into him. The teacher called on him and Aomine had no choice but to leave his eyes from the door.

The teacher started on attendance and he listened closely for the teacher to call Kuroko. When he did, there was no response. At that moment, the teacher’s eyes brightened on a sort of revelation and left it at that. The teacher knew something about Kuroko that Aomine didn’t. And that made him even more pissed off than he already was.

At lunch, he made sure to tell Akashi that no, Kuroko was not here today at school, and yes, he did have some information about him. His homeroom teacher knew something they all didn’t. Kise went out to find out what the information was.

He came back with nothing.

“‘It’s something Kuroko-kun should tell you. If he didn’t, then he must have had a good reason for it,’ is what he said.” Kise imitated perfectly, at the same time looking at Akashi with guarded eyes. Said person just got up and left the rooftop.

The others looked at each other for a second before following him out.

* * *

The next day, the teacher completely skipped over Kuroko’s name, as if it was but a distant memory that there was person called Kuroko Tetsuya. No one even noticed except for the navy haired boy who seemed to glare at the teacher for ‘forgetting’ his friend’s name. At lunch, he told Akashi how Kuroko’s name was not called out and the red haired emperor ordered Midorima to go the teacher’s lounge and check the attendance list for Aomine’s class. When he came back, he had a slightly shocked face and relayed his experience.

“His name is gone. It’s not on the paper anymore. Someone must have erased it and made a new attendance list because I couldn’t find Kuroko’s name anywhere. It’s like he’s just… gone.”

* * *

Days passed since the Generation of Miracles saw the phantom player and every second made Akashi want to go on a killing spree. He was lost. Completely and utterly lost. Akashi Seijuuro was never lost. He refused to be. He would find Kuroko and he would do it with pride.

At least that was what he thought until graduation.

After reliving the same process of Aomine relaying information on the class and Akashi ordering each of the Generation of Miracles to try and obtain as much knowledge as they could, they started to get tired and slowly gave up on trying to find their sixth man player. Akashi, however, was not a person who just gave up.

He needed to have all the information in the world. That was what an Akashi did. So, the fact that he did not know such a small thing as Kuroko’s location irked him to no end. He needed to gain this information or else he wouldn’t be able to call himself the emperor. And he knew he was one.

Thankfully, for him at least, he noticed that Momoi, the retired manager of the Teiko basketball team, was getting a lot more distant than usual. Normally Aomine and Momoi - childhood friends - would go home together, despite any circumstance. However, it seemed like now, Momoi was making up all kinds of excuses to go home alone.

“The teacher told me I had cleanup duty. You can go first.”

“I have to finish some work at school. It’s going to take a while.”

“Acchan is having boyfriend troubles. I need to help her out. Go without me.”

“I just can’t go with you today. I’m sorry.”

And he noticed how puffy her eyes were every day. She was crying every night. Of course, it was very difficult to see because she had smeared makeup to hide the redness of her eyes, and it was very skillful how she put it on. No average person would have noticed it.

But Akashi was not an average person.

As graduation ended and the third years were leaving to celebrate, Akashi called up the Generation of Miracles and told them to meet up in the gym. He sent a special message to Aomine and told him to get a hold of Momoi, whether she liked it or not.

A few minutes after sending the message, Akashi could spot the team’s eccentric hair colors and he smirked inside when he saw Aomine holding the pink-haired manager tightly. She seemed to be struggling terribly under his grasp, and she was hitting and scratching his arm everywhere.

“Let me go!” She screamed but Aomine didn’t budge.

“Satsuki, stop fucking struggling!” Aomine, in turn, replied with a grunt. Momoi kicked him in the shin but he still kept walking. He would do anything as long as it meant that Akashi would not murder him.

“This is abuse! Abuse!” Momoi kept yelling and the others acted as if they didn’t see or hear anything.

“Satsuki, stop!”

“Let me go, Aomine-kun! Let go!”

“That is enough, Satsuki.” Akashi finally interrupted as they all walked up to him. Momoi hesitated before letting go of Aomine’s arm. He sighed in relief, and in return, loosened his grip on the girl.

“Why did you want me to bring her, Akashi? You know how many bruises I got because of this?” Aomine complained but one look at Akashi made him shut his mouth.

“Let’s talk in the gym, shall we?” He said and they all walked into the now lifeless gym. They remembered when everything was full of smiles and laughter.

Those days were now all gone.

“Surround Satsuki so she can’t escape.” Akashi ordered and the team immediately complied. With their enormous height and Murasakibara’s defense stance, Momoi had no chance at all. She looked at Akashi with pleading eyes.

“What did I do?” Momoi asked with tears coming out of her eyes and Aomine hesitated.

“Oi, Satsuki, why are you crying? Stop.” He tried to comfort awkwardly but Akashi cut him off.

“Do not interrupt, Daiki.” Aomine clamped his mouth shut. Akashi then shifted his gaze to the crying girl.

“Satsuki, where is Tetsuya?” He asked simply and everyone’s ears perked at the sound of Kuroko’s name. Momoi’s eyes widened.

“Wh-what are you talking about it?” She stuttered and Akashi knew it. Momoi knew where Kuroko was.

“I will not ask again, Satsuki. Where is he?” Momoi’s mouth refused to budge. Akashi was losing his impatience terribly fast. Aomine and everyone else saw it. They all knew what was coming next if Momoi didn’t speak up.

“Satsuki, just hurry up and tell him.” Aomine said, secretly begging her to tell him so that she wouldn’t get hurt. Momoi, however, didn’t say anything in return. Akashi’s eyes narrowed significantly and Kise looked at the scene with worried eyes.

“Hey, Akashicchi, maybe she doesn’t know. You never kn-”

“I told you not to interrupt.” Akashi cut off with a cold voice. “Satsuki, I will give you three seconds.”

“I don’t know!” Momoi pleaded as she tried to look for an escape. She still couldn’t see the exit.

“You know I do not like to be lied to, Satsuki. I know you know.” Akashi said, almost close to exploding.

“I- I- ” Momoi kept stuttering and Aomine couldn’t take it anymore.

“Satsuki, just tell him!”

“I can’t!” She cried out and at that moment, Akashi told ahold of her shoulders and started shaking her violently.

“I told you I am not a patient person, Satsuki. Tell me where he is!” Akashi thundered and Momoi started crying harder.

“I can’t tell you! He told me not to tell you!”

“Tell me!”

“I can’t!”

“Satsuki!” Akashi roared and without meaning to, he threw her to the ground. Aomine started running towards her to help her but Akashi stopped him at the last second. He walked slowly and crouched in front of Momoi.

“Satsuki. Where is Tetsuya?” He asked once more and this time, he got a response.

“He’s… in Los Angeles.” She hiccuped and the moment she said those words, her tears flowed more prominently than before.

Akashi stood up, satisfied with her answer, and walked towards the Generation of Miracles.

“You are all dismissed. I will call you all once more when the day comes. You will all come without objection, do you understand?” He said and they all nodded except for Aomine who was still looking at Momoi with helpless eyes.

“Daiki, do you understand?” Akashi asked and Aomine turned to look at the emperor.

“How could you?” He whispered.

“I did what I had to.”

“You didn’t have to go that far!” He yelled.

“Are you yelling at me, Daiki?” Akashi replied with his eyes narrowing.

“Why did you do this? Why are you so desperate to know Tetsu’s location? What did Satsuki do to make her deserve this? Why is Tetsu so important to you? We completely forgot about him in these weeks!” Aomine shut his mouth when those words came out of his mouth. Everyone there looked guilty and Aomine looked like he wanted to rip his throat out. He just admitted something he never would have said in a million years.

But it was true.

During those few weeks, the Generation of Miracles had slowly slipped Kuroko from their minds. Aomine felt hurt the greatest when he realized that he forgot his best friend. 

Akashi was silent before responding.

“If that is all you want to say, then I will be on my way. I will call all of you and you will all join me whether you like it or not. Do you understand?” Everyone excluding Aomine nodded once more. With one more look at the two childhood friends, Akashi nodded, as if satisfied with the result, and left the gym silently.

Aomine ran up to the still crying Momoi and shielded her from others’ eyes. Momoi, leaned into Aomine and cried harder. Aomine could do nothing but to pat her back soothingly. And during the crying, Aomine could hear her murmurs of pain and hurt.

“He’s going to hate me. Tetsu-kun is going to hate me, Dai-chan. What am I going to do?”

* * *

The Generation of Miracles all went their separate ways in high school. They had grown tired of weak opponents and decided that the five were the only capable opponents. They would all fight with their unmatchable strengths in the Inter-high and only the best would survive. 

Naturally, the Generation of Miracles were all chosen to go to high elite schools; Kise with Kaijo, Midorima with Shuutoku, Aomine and Momoi with Touo, Murasakibara with Yosen, and finally, Akashi with Rakuzan.

Not surprisingly, they slowly started to forget about Akashi’s words. They only remembered the promise they made with each other, a few days before graduation had even happened.

“We will eliminate anyone in our way and battle each other in the Inter-High. We will see who is the strongest then.”

Midorima went down first by a dark horse of the Inter High but Aomine beat them soon afterward. Kise fell from the same hands. Murasakibara, Aomine, and Akashi did not play but Rakuzan was still the victor.

After that, summer vacation arrived and everyone was busy getting ready to win in the Winter Cup.

And then, everyone’s phone rang with a message from the emperor himself.

‘Meet me at the Teiko gym today at noon. Do not be late.’

The former teammates did not even bother being late. In fact, they all came 10 minutes early in hopes of avoiding any tardies. They all looked at each other with distant eyes and said quite little to each other while waiting for Akashi. No one would have guessed that they were all once best of friends.

Finally, Akashi arrived with something in his hand. Everyone looked at it curiously and Akashi handed each of them a piece of paper. Closely looking at it, they realized that it was plane tickets to Los Angeles. They all looked at Akashi with surprised eyes and Akashi nodded, as if answering their unasked question.

“The flight is a few days from now. I have already gotten approval from all of your parents. Pack what you need and I will meet you all again in the airport. Remember to tell your team that you will be gone for a month, at the very least. That is all. You are all dismissed.” It was brief and short but the impact was great.

The Generation of Miracles were going to the States.

Just as Akashi left, Aomine raged a fit and was about to rip the ticket in pieces.

“Aominecchi, no! Akashicchi is going to kill you!” Kise yelled as he stopped him in just mere seconds. Midorima looked at the ticket with wide eyes, shocked that Akashi would just do this to them without any warning. Murasakibara had lost his grip of his chips during the meeting and was crouching down to pick them back up. He still had his bored expression on him, as if nothing entertained him anymore, but he was clenching the ticket very tightly. He was not expecting this at all.

Kise was still trying to calm down Aomine, but it looked like it wasn’t working at all. However, unbeknownst to Kise and the others, Aomine wasn’t mad because of Akashi’s stunt.

He was furious because he had forgotten about Kuroko. Again.

“What kind of human am I?” He whispered to himself and cursed himself loudly.

“Do we really have to go?” Kise asked Midorima and he shrugged.

“If that is what Akashi proclaimed, then we must follow it.” He answered but he sounded as if he were far away from this place.

“I can’t speak english, though.” Murasakibara said childishly and Midorima sighed.

“Let us hope that none of us speak it.” He said and stared at the ticket once more. It looked so genuine and authentic. It was not a lie. They were all going.

One by one, they all left the gym, silent and confused. Aomine stayed in the place the longest, looking at the gym with sad eyes.

What happened to the innocence that they once had? Their friendship and their happiness? What happened to the unbreakable bond he and Kuroko once had?

He didn’t even deserve to remember that bond. He was a horrible human being.

What would Kuroko think of him now?

* * *

The day came when they were all supposed to meet at the airport. In the last few days, the Generation of Miracles had to explain their situation to the captain and teammates.

Some were let off easy, like Aomine, who just expected Momoi to relay his situation to the team. Others, like Kise, Midorima, and Murasakibara, took a bit more time to explain, mostly because the captains and coaches all looked like they were going to murder them. 

Kise was continuously hit by Kaijo’s captain, Kasamatsu, several times before finally relenting and telling him to train continuously in the States. Midorima had a few hours of avoiding pineapples coming to his head before the captain, Otsubo, could calm his friend Miyaji down. They agreed that so long as Midorima did not forget to practice, they would be fine. Murasakibara was hit various times in the back with the coach’s wooden stick for being such an idiot. His back was burning red by the time her anger declined and she made him promise that he would practice, no matter how boring it was for him. He muttered a yes before rubbing his back with a pout on his face.

Akashi, on the other hand, had given his second-in-command, Mibuchi Reo, a training regimen for the month away and everyone nearly cried when the paper was passed around. Even the muscle gorilla and the over energetic blond could not imagine how hard the month would be.

‘Demon.’ The Rakuzan team all thought as Akashi bid them a good training and left.

The Generation of Miracles all met in front of the airline, waiting for Akashi, and gained some unwanted attention, both from their unnatural hair colors and their strong auras. Their intimidating air increased immensely when Akashi finally joined them. The workers who tended to them almost all fainted and many of them bowed very formally whenever the Generation of Miracles walked around the airport. It didn’t help that Murasakibara towered everyone and had a glare in his eyes.

When they were at security check, one of the people stopped the five and pointed towards Murasakibara.

“You can’t bring food in there, sir. I’m afraid we’re going to have to confiscate them.” The person said as confidently as he could, though with the intensifying glare Murasakibara had, his voice cracked at the very end.

“Aka-chin, he wants to take my candy away.” Murasakibara said to Akashi.

“Give the man the candy, Atsushi.”

“But I’m eating it.”

“Atsushi.” Murasakibara looked like he wanted to cry as he gave the man his enormous amount of candy. Before going inside the metal bars, he stared at the man from his shoulder and he gulped loudly.

Midorima was the only one who had to get checked, mostly because his carry on had his lucky item for the day, a small hatchet, and though he protested, they had to take it away from him.

“Akashi, that’s my lucky item!”

“Shintarou, even you should know that you cannot bring a hatchet to an airport.”

“I would have never known. I’ve never been in one!” Midorima said, unintentionally inferring his hate for leaving Japan unnoticed.

“Shintarou, do you have a problem?” Akashi asked, noting the indirect insult. Midorima was quiet before shaking his head. “Then let us keep moving.”

It was a very tiring experience, and they were not even on the airplane yet. Kise was marred by fangirls who noticed him right away and Aomine was crowded by gangs who thought Aomine was in an enemy gang. Thankfully, Murasakibara helped Kise by carrying him up and out of reach from the girls, and Akashi made every person surrounding Aomine fall to the ground with just a touch on the shoulder.

“Know your place.”

Even in the airplane, they had problems. For one, Midorima had never been on an airplane and not having his lucky item made him even more nervous than before. It didn’t really help that he was sitting next to Akashi. He kept jittering and moving in his seat, feeling uncomfortably hot. Aomine was shifting in his seat for the same reason, though he didn’t really show it in his face as Midorima did. Kise and Akashi looked calm and collected, since both had experience in airplanes. Murasakibara had a hard time adjusting in his seat because even the business class seat was too small for him. He kept hitting his head on the roof and when he tried to lower his seat, a stewardess would always come in and readjust it for him, telling him that he couldn’t do that yet since the airplane was still not in the air.

“Hey, Akashi, how long is the flight?” Aomine asked as he tried to pull the seatbelt away from him.

“About 11 hours.” Akashi answered calmly. Aomine, Midorima, and Murasakibara all looked at him with wide eyes.

“That long?” Midorima tried to say as nonchalantly as he could but he had a shrill tone, making it difficult for him to look calm.

“I suggest you all work on your English. Even you, Ryouta.”

“Eh? But English is my best subject!” Kise answered incredulously.

“From all the worst ones, maybe.”Aomine muttered and Kise hit him on the head.

“Shut up, Aominecchi! You’re the one to talk!” Kise said and they both started bickering. Akashi shook his head in dismay.

“Shintarou, I hope you have done your part in this.”

“Naturally.”

“Atsushi, after we can take off our seat belts, you will switch seats with Shintarou and you will have personal lesson on English from me, do you understand?” He asked and Murasakibara nodded, still trying to get comfortable.

“You too, Daiki.” At his name, Aomine stopped talking and looked at Akashi with surprise. Then, he went back to the window.

“Shit. I’m fucked.” He muttered to himself and Kise snickered next to him.

“Ryouta, although you say you have confidence, I doubt you know slangs and the colloquial language in Los Angeles.” Akashi then said and Kise slumped in his seat soon after.

“They don’t teach us that at school. Why should I know them?” Kise said in an annoyed tone and Akashi passed him an iPad with videos of American TV shows.

“Begin learning, Ryouta.” He said and Kise sighed in defeat before starting the first episode of Finding Carter.

“Akashi, what are we going to do when he see Kuroko?” Midorima suddenly asked, forgetting all about his nervousness. Akashi looked slowly at Midorima, making him sweat.

“We will bring him back to Japan, of course. What else?” He answered simply.

“And if he doesn’t want to come back?”

“Then we will have to make him come back.” Midorima became silent at his response and wondered just Akashi had become this deranged. Was it when he threw Momoi to the ground in middle school, or way before that? 

He had no clue.

The airplane finally started to take off and the three inexperienced students gripped the handles tightly in fear. Akashi looked at the window boredly and Kise was too focused on memorizing the slangs that were being used to notice the airplane moving.

The airplane flew off high and when the speaker came that they could now use electronic devices and take off their seat belts, the four Miracles all realized that this is finally happening.

They were finally going to the States.

No going back now.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italicized words are spoken in English
> 
> Though it's summer in Japan, let's just pretend that school is still in session in the States and won't be vacation until after (AKA when the plot demands it)
> 
> Kuroko's school will be modeled after my own, as well as the experiences I've had in real life, so I apologize in advance if the things I put aren't relevant in the States (I live in Mexico)

It was official. Midorima hated airplanes. Especially 11 hour flights where he couldn’t hear anything but terrible english, irritated sighs, and gibberish coming from the iPad.

The moment the seatbelt sign turned off Akashi immediately called Murasakibara to sit next to him, as well as making Aomine come closer to where they were at. Midorima took the time to sit next to Kise, who was still on the first episode of Finding Carter. His brow was furrowed as he tried to repeat words and phrases coming from the show. It wasn’t long until he paused the episode and sighed heavily.

“Akashicchi, this is too hard.” Kise whined but Akashi was a bit preoccupied dealing with the two dumbos who couldn’t understand anything.

“Keep watching Ryouta.” Was the only advice Akashi gave him. Kise ran a hand through his hair and pleaded to Midorima to save him from the torture that was English. Midorima pretended not to notice him and looked out the window, his view being blocked by the white clouds and the small glimpse of the airplane wing.

“Atsushi, repeat after me. _‘How are you today?’_ ” Akashi said in perfect English and Murasakibara visually looked scared to try it.

“Wait, what? Say that again. Slower. Much, much slower.” Aomine told Akashi, unable to comprehend even the first letter of the phrase. Akashi was not a patient man, but this was just God playing with him.

“ _How. Are. You. Today._ ” Akashi repeated slowly, just as Aomine had asked, but even then, both Murasakibara and Aomine could not try it.

“We’ll try something easier then. Try saying hello in English.” Akashi decided to change, a bit irritated that he couldn’t teach something as easy as this.

“I forgot. What’s hello in English?” Aomine asked dumbly and Akashi felt his eye twitch.

“ _Hello_. Now try it.”

“Hel-lo-u. Like that?” Aomine slurred and Murasakibara ended up mashing the words into an incomprehensible blob. Midorima could see Akashi’s patience reaching the top.

“ _How are you?_ ” Akashi then tried to teach again. Aomine and Murasakibara looked at each other for a split second, knowing so well that Akashi was close to exploding.

“Ha-u ah yu.” Aomine said, the same time Murasakibara did. Akashi took a deep breath and a big sigh escaped his mouth.

“I am assigning you two a series of words and phrases common in the States. I will not allow you two to eat anything until you can say it perfectly. I also expect you to know the meanings to it. Do you understand?” Akashi threatened and Murasakibara’s eyes went wide.

“Aka-chin!” He cried in exasperation but Akashi didn’t relent.

“I suggest you start quickly, Atsushi. And Daiki, because I know you do not care for eating as much as Atsushi does, I will only allow you two to eat if and only if both of you pass. Am I making myself clear?” At that, Murasakibara shot Aomine a ferocious glare, making Aomine gulp and nod. A hungry Murasakibara was an unhappy Murasakibara. And an unhappy Murasakibara meant a Murasakibara who would most likely crush anything in his way, starting with him. Aomine still had a lot of years to live. He did not want to die here.

Akashi took out a notebook and started writing the most basic phrases in English, ones that were used in elementary school textbooks. Once written, he then added the meanings to each in Japanese, as well as the basic pronunciations.

“Akashi, if you’re going to let us off on our own, at least give us a recording on how to say it or something.” Aomine protested and Akashi considered it for a second.

“Fine, then.” He agreed and took out his phone. He recited the phrases and made sure to enunciate them slowly and clearly.

“Tell me when you are ready.” Akashi said before leaving his seat and leaving the two English-complex students behind. Murasakibara took the phone and immediately set it to repeat.

“Mine-chin, if it’s your fault I can’t eat, I’ll crush you.” Murasakibara commented darkly and Aomine nodded hesitantly. Then, they set to work.

Akashi moved to Kise, who was still pausing and starting the first episode to try and understand what they were saying.

“Akashicchi, I don’t understand anything!” Kise blubbered as soon as Akashi arrived to their seats.

“I thought you were confident with you English, Ryouta.” Akashi replied, recurring Kise’s words before the flight had taken off.

“Ok, I admit it. I’m not that good in English. But Akashicchi, I can’t do this anymore! It’s too much English for one person!”

“You will have to get used to it, Ryouta. We will be staying in a place full of English for a whole month.” Kise blanched out at Akashi’s words and then overreacted to Midorima.

“Midorimacchi, what are we going to do?” Kise begged while clinging onto the green haired man and he, in return, shrugged the golden puppy off.

“How am I supposed to know?” Midorima responded, annoyed himself, and Kise gave up.

“Wait, why isn’t Midorimacchi watching English programs, too? Why’s it only me?” Kise asked Akashi and Midorima’s eyes widened.

“Idiot, what do you think you’re doing?” Midorima hissed as he slapped Kise’s arm. Akashi seemed to ponder about this and then came to a conclusion.

“Shintarou, take one of the earbuds and watch the episode with Ryouta.” He ordered and Kise looked very smug as he took out his left earbud and gave it to Midorima. He tsked angrily and glared at Kise as he put it on. Then, Kise unpaused the episode and both watched it intently, trying to understand what was happening.

With the four preoccupied with their English studies, Akashi took that time to sit where Murasakibara had been sitting and started to think.

What would they do once they got to Los Angeles? He didn’t have to worry about a place to stay at because he had a summer house in LA and he had been there a couple of times to know which places were where. It also helped that one of his drivers was currently there as well, so destinations weren’t a problem. He didn’t have to worry about finding Kuroko either. He had done his own snooping around to know at which house he resided at and which school he went to, and if the information was correct, school was still in session for him. 

What he was worried about most was what Kuroko would do once they met. It had been almost a year since Kuroko disappeared and Akashi had no clue as to how much Kuroko had changed over that period of time. He would never admit to anyone but secretly, Akashi was afraid.

Would Kuroko be surprised at the sight of them? Disgusted? Would he pretend to not have seen them? Or worse, would he just ignore them?

Honestly, Akashi had no idea why he wanted to bring Kuroko back to Japan with them. He was useless back in Teiko when everyone’s abilities grew, so why did he want him back? Was it because Kuroko was testing Akashi’s skills as the all knowing emperor? Or was it because he just wanted his friend back?

They had one month to persuade Kuroko to come back with them, or this trip would be for nothing. Akashi had practically forced the others to come with him by using fear and fear alone. He was more than sure about what they must have been feeling with this whole fiasco, starting with Midorima, who had been glaring at that nothing for the past hour.

Akashi sighed and rubbed his forehead, a massive headache creeping up. He was overthinking this. He was going to get Kuroko back, whether he liked it or not. He was the emperor, and he was absolute. Everything would be to his command.

“Oi, Akashi! We’re done!” Aomine called out and Akashi whipped his head to where Aomine and Murasakibara were at. He then stood up and calmly walked over to them, face emotionless. He took his phone and the notes away from them and Murasakibara moved from his seat to give it to Akashi. He sat and immediately started the test.

“You may begin.” Aomine went first.

“ _Hello. How are you today?_ ” He recited slowly, trying his best to get the pronunciation correctly. Akashi nodded his approval and Aomine raised his fist in the air in triumph.

“Hell yes! Fucking took me forever to get that!”

“Keep going.” Akashi said and Aomine’s face turned more hesitant.

“Uh, _I feel happy?_ ” Akashi nodded. “ _Can I order a -_ Uh, wait I got this. Ham-buh-gur?” Aomine tried to say as he looked at Akashi carefully. He, in turn, narrowed his eyes at Aomine but still nodded.

“Keep going.”

“I uh -”

“My turn.” Murasakibara suddenly butted in and quickly said the next phrase while Aomine shouted an annoyed “Oi!”

“ _What is today’s menu?_ ” Murasakibara said confidently and Akashi nodded approval and was a bit surprised at how well Murasakibara said that phrase. But then again, if it was anything related to food, Murasakibara was a master.

“ _I like sweets. And you?_ ” With one more nod, Akashi lowered the notes to look at them carefully.

“Now, tell me the definitions to each of the phrases you just said.” Quickly, the two collaborated to answer each statement and it went on like this for about another hour before Akashi finally decided it was time for them to rest.

“You may now eat.” He declared and Murasakibara looked like he wanted to sing hallelujah. He quickly called the stewardess, who seemed to be a bit intimidated by Murasakibara’s height, and he ordered almost half of the menu. Aomine ordered a bit as well, not as much as the giant had, but he also looked like he wanted to cry from joy.

In the meantime, Midorima and Kise had finally finished two episodes of Finding Carter and were at the point where they were sweating from the intense focus. With much concentration, they finally understood most of the dialogue and where the plot was going. Kise had memorized most of the slangs at this point and was currently reviewing them with Midorima, making sure to get the right pitch as well. Seeing those two, as well as Aomine and Murasakibara, Akashi felt himself switch to his real self for a mere second, and in that mere second, he was glad to have such friends who sacrificed so much for his selfish alter ego.

* * *

The flight was long. Way too long. Everyone, even Akashi, was at their limit. They were cranky, jetlagged, and utterly done with English. They all felt like puking if they were to see another English word and wanted nothing more but to go back to their homes in Japan, but they all knew it was too late. Everywhere they walked in the airport, they were bombarded with English, from the directions on the billboard signs to the people talking around them.

“Aka-chin, I think I’m going to be sick.” Murasakibara muttered as he covered his mouth with his hand. Akashi was in no mood to be dealing with this and only ordered the purple haired giant to hold it until they made it to the summer house.

Maybe it was their appearance as Japanese, or their abnormal heights, or their even more outrageous hair, but the five attracted a lot more attention than they had anticipated. It was uncomfortable for them, especially with the whispers surrounding them, and they couldn’t even breath right until they met Akashi’s designated driver who was holding up Akashi’s name on a sign.

“Kamijou-san.” Akashi greeted and said person bowed.

“Akashi-sama, how was your flight? Was it pleasant?” He asked they all started moving to the parking lot. Aomine snorted while Midorima sighed. Akashi ignored the two and replied that it was fine.

“Where to, Akashi-sama? Would you like me to take you to Melisse? Your father recommended it after nodding his approval on the sushi.”

“No restaurants, Kamijou-san. Take us home for now. We will have dinner later.” Akashi answered and the others looked visibly relieved at those words. Kamijou nodded and they rode away in the foreign city.

The ride was quiet as everyone except Midorima and Akashi fell asleep the moment their heads fell in contact with the car seat. It took a while before Midorima could ask.

“What are the plans?” He asked.

“Depends. If you are all tired, we can skip going to Melisse and just have a light snack at the house, or we can go to the sushi restaurant afterwards.”

“No, I’m not talking about plans for today. I meant plans for tomorrow. If I recall, today is only Tuesday. Kuroko will definitely be at school tomorrow.” Midorima said and Akashi was quiet for a moment.

“We will go see him. What else?” Akashi responded simply and Midorima spluttered.

“That easily? How are we going to see him? What if we don’t even find him?”

“Are you questioning my handling things, Shintarou?” Akashi narrowed his eyes and Midorima only shook his head.

“What I’m saying is that you’re not explaining your plan thoroughly enough. How are we going to get there? Do we even know where Kuroko’s school is? What it’s even called? What if we can’t find him? What if he can’t find us? What if -”

“Shintarou.” Akashi cut off and it was then that Midorima realized that he had been babbling completely unlike himself.

“Sorry. It must be the jetlag.” Midorima muttered and Akashi sighed.

“If you must know, I already have all the information we need. I checked the bus schedule Tetsuya will most likely be at and fortunately, its route stops nearby the summer house. We can take the bus and hope to see Tetsuya there.”

“You want to go on the school bus?” Midorima asked skeptically, knowing for a fact that Akashi never used buses to transport.

“It is the best choice. If we take the same bus as Tetsuya, we have a far better chance in meeting him. We can’t be sure that his misdirection has faded in the States.”

“True. But even still…”

“Is something the matter?”

“Nothing, really. I just can’t imagine you taking the bus.”

“Is that so?” Akashi hummed and finally, the jetlag took a toll on Midorima as he laid his head on the comfy seat. He yawned profoundly and slowly started to close his eyes.

“You know, Akashi,” Midorima started to say sleepily, “you’ve changed a lot, up to the point where I just can’t seem to know who you are anymore.” And with that comment, the car fell silent, Akashi’s eye flickering color every now and then.

* * *

When they arrived to the summer house and Kamijou had woken everyone up, they all took their luggage and the maids greeted them inside. A few of them left their spots to show the five in which room to go to and the others got back to their chores.

“This place is awesome!” Kise chirped as Aomine absentmindedly nodded. Murasakibara had his eyes on the kitchen and Midorima just looked around, obviously impressed. After they got settled into their respective rooms, Akashi gathered them around the recreation center.

“I’m assuming everyone is settled in?” He asked and everyone nodded.

“Hey Akashicchi? Isn’t it a bit too much for us to be living here? I mean, you know, aren’t we kind of intruding?” Kise asked hesitantly and Akashi raised an eyebrow.

“Exactly how is it intruding if this is my house and I invited you all in here?” At that, Kise closed his mouth, unable to retort back.

“Aka-chin, when are we eating?” Murasakibara asked, his stomach growling loudly.

“Would you like to eat outside or here?” Akashi responded and Murasakibara shrugged.

“Anywhere’s good with me.” He slurred and looking at the four faces, Akashi concluded that eating outside would be too much for them, especially since eating outside meant speaking English.

“We’ll have dinner here then.” Akashi decided. It wasn’t long until the food was ready to eat. Murasakibara gorged himself as always while the others took their time. Then, Akashi gave them the plan for tomorrow, the others listening intently.

“Wait, so we’re taking the school bus? Can we even do that? We don’t even go to that school!” Kise exclaimed and the others looked uncomfortable as well. Akashi, however, looked unfazed as he kept eating his meal.

“Visitors can take the school bus if they wish. We just have to make something up. Naturally, I have everything ready to say.” He explained.

“You must have researched a lot to know all this.” Kise said in amaze.

“Of course. Naturally, I am absolute and I know everything.”

“Question. Exactly what are we going to do when we actually meet Tetsu?” Aomine then added and Kise nodded enthusiastically. The others were listening intune as well and Akashi looked around, obviously unimpressed.

“Isn’t it obvious? We’re going to make Tetsuya come back with us.” He answered simply and Midorima couldn’t help but sigh.

“Is there a problem, Shintarou?” Akashi raised an eyebrow and Midorima knew he was going to regret it later, but right now, he had to say it.

“Akashi, people don’t work that way. If Kuroko came here on his own will, how do you know if he’ll come back with us to Japan? It’s been almost a year and Kuroko’s never even bothered to contact us. What makes you think he’ll listen to us? To you?” The tension visibly grew as the spectators looked down at their foods but occasionally sneaked a peak at Midorima and Akashi.

“Are you doubting my ability, Shintarou?” Akashi asked, his golden eye flashing. Midorima gulped and shook his head as calmly as he could.

“I never said that. You know what I mean, Akashi.”

“Oh? And what do you mean?” Akashi raised one eyebrow and Midorima took a deep breath.

“Kuroko may not be the same person he was a year ago. That’s what I mean.”

“I fail to see the problem.”

“The problem is,” Midorima suddenly raised his voice, tired of having Akashi not understand, no, not wanting to understand what was happening, “that you can’t just force someone to leave their place using only fear.” The dinner table grew unbearably quiet as Midorima and Akashi unconsciously started a staring contest. Even Murasakibara stopped eating, finally interpreting the situation.

Midorima broke the contest first, not able to stand his gaze against those of Akashi any longer. Akashi, on the other hand, was silent. Then,

“I will tolerate this kind of behavior because we have had a long flight and everyone is still tired. However, if this happens again, I will be merciless.” His eyes flashed as he stood up and started to walk away.

“We will meet tomorrow at the recreation center at exactly 6:30. The bus will come at 7. I expect you all to be ready by then. That is all.” He ordered before disappearing to his room. Midorima let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding and he fell to his seat, his legs shaking horribly.

“Midorimacchi, why did you do that?” Kise whispered worriedly and Midorima just shrugged, not wanting to answer him. Midorima didn’t know why he did it, honestly. Maybe it really was because of the jetlag, or maybe it was because he just wanted Akashi to understand how much of a tyrant he had become.

Or maybe, just maybe, he just wanted his old friend back.

* * *

The next morning was torture for the four miracles. For one, the time scheme was a pain to tackle because they couldn’t sleep at all. It was probably still afternoon in Japan and they were still accustomed to Japan time. Some ended up just twisting and turning in their beds until it was time for them to get ready for 6:30. Others gave up almost immediately and spent their time reading like Midorima or, in Aomine’s case, taking a glance at the new edition of Horihata Mai, his favorite gravure idol.

As 6 hit the clock, most started to get ready, starting from washing their faces to changing into casual clothes. When it became 6:30, everyone was ready and waiting in the recreation center, the only one not present being Akashi.

“Tch, why is it that Akashi’s the one who summoned us but he’s the only one who’s late?” Aomine complained.

“It kind of feels like deja vu, don’t you think?” Kise added, remembering their meeting at the start of Interhigh.

“I don’t care.” Aomine hissed. “He should at least have the decency to get here on time.”

“What were you saying, Daiki?” They heard a familiar voice say and they all whipped their heads to the entrance of the recreation center. Aomine said nothing but had a fierce glare on him. Akashi pretended not to notice and gestured them to come with him. They soon met with Kamijou and led them to the car.

“Wait, I thought we were going on the bus?” Kise said.

“We are. But the bus stop is a few miles away from here. We could walk, of course, but I doubt you all have the strength to do so, seeing as though most of you couldn’t sleep.” Akashi explained, looking at the four’s dark circles. “If you don’t sleep in the afternoon and wait until night time comes by, it’ll be easier to accustom yourselves to the time scheme.” They all got into the car and most rested their heads, not having enough energy yet, seeing as though it was early in the morning and they hadn’t gotten any of sleep.

It took about roughly 10 minutes by car to arrive, and when they did, it was close to 7.

“Would you like me to pick you up afterwards?” Kamijou asked and Akashi shook his head.

“In the meantime, no. However, if something were to come up, I will call.” Akashi said and Kamijou bowed before leaving. A few minutes later, the bus arrived.

Akashi entered first and a short woman who seemed to be in her mid twenties with a bright red uniform stopped him.

“ _Excuse me, unauthorized people cannot ride the bus_.” She said in a stern tone but Akashi didn’t look fazed.

“ _We’re not unauthorized people. We’re actually visitors who are planning to take a look around the school._ ” Akashi lied swiftly in English and the woman looked skeptical.

“ _And your parents?_ ” She asked.

“ _Unable to join us. My father is away on a business trip and my mother has been admitted into the hospital. They told us that the bus would be lenient enough to let us use it._ ” He said. The woman looked behind Akashi and saw the four looking curiously at her.

“ _Are you all from the same family?_ ” She asked incredulously and Akashi chuckled.

_“Not from the same parents, obviously. We’re cousins.”_

_“Oh, really?_ ” She said in a somewhat sarcastic tone but Akashi kept smiling.

“ _Is that so hard to believe?_ ” He asked her and she shrugged.

“ _Somehow yes. Do you always dye your hair so thoroughly? Even your roots seem to be colored expertly._ ” She then commented.

“ _Would you believe us if we said it’s our natural hair color?_ ” Akashi asked and the woman seemed a bit taken back by it.

“ _A bit, yes. Anyways, back to the topic. I’ll let you guys in for today. Next time, though, if you’re going to use this bus, get a note from the principal or an email telling me._ ” She ended and the five got on the bus. The students who were already there glanced curiously at the five.

“Aka-chin, the roof is too small.” Murasakibara whined as he crouched down even further to not hit his head.

“Bear with it, Atsushi.” Akashi replied and reached the back of the bus that had five empty seats.

“That took way too long.” Aomine grumbled and Akashi ignored him. 

Kise, who was at the very end, wasn’t paying attention to where the others were going to. Everything about a school bus fascinated him immensely. In Japan, he mostly walked to school so the whole concept of it was so new to him. He ended up sitting in a random empty seat. But somehow, the empty seat didn’t really feel empty. It felt as if someone was sitting next to him. He turned his head towards the window seat but saw no one.

“Ryouta, what are you doing?” Kise heard Akashi call out and it was then that he saw the four sitting in the back seat, Akashi in the middle.

“Ah, sorry! Didn’t see you guys there!” Kise exclaimed and immediately left the seat, the feeling never really leaving him. The bus still wasn’t moving and the bus lady looked really irritated.

“ _Are you serious? You know what? John, let’s just go. Mr. Phillips obviously isn’t coming anytime soon._ ” She commented with distaste and the bus driver, John, was about to close the door before they both saw a silhouette running towards them.

“ _Wait!_ ” He screamed and when the person reached the bus, the bus lady pulled him up forcefully. An African-American student was huffing and had red tinted on his cheeks. His cornrows settled down as he took his breath and stood up, facing the bus lady.

“ _Easy there, Muriel. I just ran a marathon, you know?_ ” The student said with an easy smile but the bus lady, now known as Muriel, glared at him.

“ _Fifth time, Mr. Phillips. Once more and we’re leaving without you._ ” She threatened but the student just laughed it off.

“ _Got it, got it. And it’s Eddy! I told you to call me Eddy, not Mr. Phillips! That’s cruel, Muriel. You call everyone else by their first name. Why am I the only different one? Could it be that you love me?_ ” Eddy teased and Muriel looked close to exploding.

“ _Just take your seat, Mr. Phillips._ ” She sighed and Eddy gave her one more easy smile.

“ _Eddy! It’s Eddy._ ” He said once more before finally walking away. “ _Oh, Muriel?_ ” He then added and Muriel looked like she wanted to murder him greatly.

“ _What is it now, Mr. Phillips?_ ” She asked tiredly.

_“Is TK here today? I heard he was sick yesterday so he couldn’t play basketball with us.”_

_“He is. Now go to your seat, please.”_ She pleaded and Eddy looked happy with the response. Muriel looked visibly relieved when Eddy started walking again and told John to step on it. Eddy purposely walked slowly to spite the bus lady even more but stopped for a moment when he laid his eyes on the five newcomers that were at the back of the bus.

“ _New kids?_ ” He muttered to himself and waved, wanting to be friendly. Akashi, who had been watching the whole scene, merely stared at Eddy. Kise, on the other hand, waved back and Eddy smiled at him.

“ _Mr. Phillips, sit down!_ ” Muriel yelled and Eddy turned around and winked. Muriel’s face lit up like a Christmas tree and Eddy chuckled to himself. He then proceeded to sit where Kise had been sitting before and started to lie down, tired from running. He jumped when he fell in contact with another body.

“ _What the -_ ” He started to say when he finally saw who he bumped into. His face broke out into a big grin and hugged the body.

“ _TK! I didn’t see you there! How you doing buddy?_ ” He asked with a tone of worry.

“ _I would be quite fine if you would let go of me._ ” A voice responded and the five turned their gaze to Eddy and mysterious but familiar voice simultaneously. Their eyes widened significantly as Eddy let go of the body and the mystery person stood up straight.

“No way. It can’t be him.” Aomine breathed as the smaller boy readjusted his headphones to make them lie on his neck. His teal hair was unruly as always and his skin was still as pale as snow. He directed his baby blue eyes to Eddy and though his face was still as stoic as ever, the five could see a hint of annoyance.

“ _I would prefer if you stopped doing that whenever we meet, Eddy._ ” He said and Eddy laughed.

“ _Sorry, TK. We were worried you know? Tiger was ranting on about how unreliable of a partner you were even though we could all see his concern. It was actually very hilarious to watch._ ”

_“I remember texting him about it. It was just a normal cold. It was nothing to be worried about.”_ He deadpanned and Eddy smiled.

“ _Same old TK, huh? You never worry enough about your body._ ” Eddy commented as he ruffled the smaller boy’s hair. He shrugged Eddy’s hand off and turned his neck to loosen it up a bit. Then, time stopped as his baby blue eyes met red and gold. His eyes widened a fraction and he froze in his place, unable to believe what he was seeing. The bus slowed down to a stop to pick up the next student, and it was then that the teal-haired student unfroze and opened his mouth.

“Akashi-kun?”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italicized words are spoken in English
> 
> Though it's summer in Japan, let's just pretend that school is still in session in the States and won't be vacation until after (AKA when the plot demands it)
> 
> Kuroko's school will be modeled after my own, as well as the experiences I've had in real life, so I apologize in advance if the things I put aren't relevant in the States (I live in Mexico)

The staring contest lasted only two and a half seconds but to the Generation of Miracles, those two and a half seconds felt like an eternity past. Kuroko scrutinized them with unreadable eyes and the five did the same.

Kuroko still looked like Kuroko, but there was something different that was staring at them in the face. They just couldn’t pinpoint what was it was. 

Was it his way of dressing? They always saw him in his uniform and nothing more. Now, he could show off his casual style with clothing since there was no uniform in the States. But clothing was far from the important. 

Was it his face? It was still blank as always, emotions kept hidden perfectly. His sky blue eyes showed nothing and he was still very pale. Maybe it was the headphones?

The staring contest would have lasted forever if it weren’t for an intruder who grabbed ahold of Kuroko by the neck and started to choke him.

_“Tetsu, you bastard, where the hell were you yesterday?”_ A very tall student, probably towering 190cm, with dark red hair growled as he proceeded to jokingly strangle the smaller of the two. To the Generation of Miracles, especially Aomine, it felt like a stab to the heart. They were the only ones who were able to do such a thing to Kuroko.

“Tetsu?” Aomine whispered furiously to himself and Kise gave him a sideways glance, worried.

“Aominecchi?”

Aomine wasn’t listening. “Who the hell does he think he is, using my fucking nickname for Tetsu?” 

Aomine’s angry remarks were completely lost as Kuroko and the mighty stranger kept jabbing at each other.

_“I thought I texted you, telling you I was sick and I couldn’t come. You’re overreacting.”_ Kuroko said as he tried to get away from the attack.

_“Like hell I am! You didn’t text me until after I sent you 100 messages.”_

_“I was sleeping.”_ Kuroko stated bluntly.

The stranger glared at him. _“Like hell you were.”_

At that moment, Eddy decided to interfere by wrapping his arms around the two’s backs.

_“What Tiger means to say is that he was just worried. He’s just too sissy to admit it.”_

_“Oi!”_ The stranger, Tiger as it seemed, shouted. _“Don’t act as if you ‘re innocent, Phillips. You’re the one who started making up weird shit ‘bout how Tetsu got kidnapped or was possibly lost in a forest and was mauled by a bear. We’re in LA! We don’t have bears! Or a forest, for that matter!”_

Eddy smiled teasingly. _“Last time I checked, you were dumb enough to actually believe that.”_

Tiger spluttered. _“I hate both of you.”_

_“I’m sure you do. But may I remind you that this is a school bus and we still have a few more stops to go to, Mr. Kagami?”_ A female voice said from behind and the three students all stiffened as they hesitantly turned around to see Muriel, smiling politely. They knew better, of course, because they immediately took their seats in the bus. Muriel gave them a subtle but dangerous glare and told John to start moving.

Kagami waited a few seconds before turning to Eddy, who was sitting with Kuroko at the moment.

_“Dude, change seats with me.”_ Kagami said as he smacked Eddy’s arm.

_“What? Why? And dude, stop slapping people. You may not realize it, but your ‘weak’ hits are actually pretty strong.”_ Eddy responded as he rubbed his hurt arm.

Kagami rolled his eyes. _“Just do it.”_

Eddy gave him a joking sigh. _“Eh, I don’t wanna. I’m too lazy.” He drawled._

_“I’ll chuck you out.”_ Kagami warned and Eddy laughed.

_“Fine, fine. Just don’t let Muriel see us. I swear, if it weren’t for the obvious crush she has for me, I would have already been dead.”_

The red head rolled his eyes one more time. _“Yes, because it is_ obviously _her who has the crush.”_

Because of his skin tone, it was hard to see the blush forming around his cheeks. _“Are you implying something here, Taiga Kagami?”_

Kagami snorted. _“You have a horrible Japanese accent, by the way. And yes, I am.”_

_“I’m just glad your first name sounds like ‘Tiger’, a word I can pronounce with pride. If only TK had one, too. And don’t you dare act like those people who only talk about love. You’re a basketball idiot, nothing more.”_

_“Unlike someone here who seems to have more in his mind.”_ Kagami responded back and smirked when Eddy got the implied meaning.

_“I can hear you, you know.”_ Kuroko butted in and both jumped, completely having forgotten that the phantom player was still here.

_“How is it that I completely forget you when I’m the one who suggested to sit next to you?”_ Kagami groaned as he slapped his forehead. Eddy laughed and as the bus stopped to pick up the following student, Kagami and Eddy quickly switched.

Aomine took that chance to move at front as well. Kuroko saw this and his normally blank eyes widened slightly. No one saw the action and Aomine glared at Kagami for a second before looking at Eddy.

“ _Sit next to you?”_ Aomine asked with an uncertain voice. Eddy gave him a confused look before nodding and scooting to the window seat.

_“Oh, and we’re talking about your ridiculous crush later.”_ Kagami added and Eddy blushed once more.

_“Did not expected the wild Tiger to talk about love.”_

_“Then stop fantasizing about her every time in Spanish class and maybe I’ll reconsider.”_ Kagami rebutted skillfully and Eddy found that he hand nothing to say but, _“I do_ not _fantasize about her every time - ish.”_

“Oi, can you speak Japanese?” Aomine interrupted as he looked directly at Kagami. Even Aomine could feel immense strength from this person, but that didn’t make him less intimidated. Kagami, not liking the navy-haired student at first glance, nodded but gave him a glare that could match Aomine’s.

“Yeah, so what of it?” Kagami answered in Japanese. “Who the fuck are you, anyways? I’ve never seen you in this bus before.”

“That’s none of your business now, is it?” Aomine growled and Kagami’s eye twitched in annoyance.

“It is if you’re going to make a havoc to my friends. I saw you and Tetsu having a stare off. Didn’t seem like it was a friendly one either.”

It was Aomine’s turn for his eye to twitch. “Why the fuck are you calling him Tetsu?”

“Hah? It’s not like it’s illegal to make up nicknames. I just shortened his name. What’s wrong with that?”

“When did you become so overly friendly with Tetsu?” Aomine asked, ignoring Kagami’s practical answer.

“Hah?” Kagami expressed with a loathsome look on his face and looked like he was going to explode when Kuroko interfered by jabbing Kagami in the stomach.

“Kagami-kun, you were always too hot-headed.”

“Tetsu, you bastard, that hurts. And when are you going to let go of that suffix? You seem fine calling me Taiga when we’re talking in English.”

“That is a completely different matter, Kagami-kun. But that is not the point right now. Aomine-kun, Kagami-kun has every right to call me whatever he wishes.”

“Wait, you two know each other?” Kagami asked before Aomine could have a chance to respond. Kuroko nodded and glanced at Aomine.

Even Aomine could read Kuroko’s eyes this time. It was hard not to.

_Why are you here, disrupting the peace I have always wanted?_ His eyes seemed to say and Aomine felt his heart crumbling to pieces as he remembered when he had completely forgotten his best friend one too many times.

“Tetsu, I -” Aomine started to say when the bus stopped entirely. The navy-haired basketball player looked outside the window and saw that they were in a parking lot that was full of school buses. Everyone started to get up, Eddy included, so he had no choice but to stand up as well. He was pushed out of the bus and lost sight of Kuroko immediately.

‘Damn it.’ He thought as he waited for the rest of the Generation of Miracles to get off. ‘He’s still as invisible as always. God, it’s been so long since I’ve seen him. I didn’t even know he could do that with his eyes.’

Then, he finally realized what was so different about Kuroko.

His aura. He seemed… stronger. More confident. He felt as if Kuroko could defeat the Generation of Miracles on his own.

And that was absurd. Kuroko was merely a shadow, a supporting player who couldn’t survive without a stronger light to help him. 

And then, a more horrible revelation hit him.

Could it be that one Kagami Taiga was a new light Kuroko found? Could it be that… Aomine was replaced?

* * *

When everyone got off and the five basketball prodigies gathered around, Aomine was ready to hear a handful from Akashi because he had moved impulsively. However, to his surprise, Akashi just glanced at him and said nothing more.

“We’re finding Tetsuya. Come on.” Akashi ordered and they started moving instantly. Aomine stayed in the back, looking at Akashi with a confused look.

“We heard the conversation you and Kagami-kun had. We also saw the look Kurokocchi gave you.” Kise commented but he seemed to get more depressed as he talked. He didn’t expect anything less from Kise, especially since they had all seen Kuroko’s look of pain.

Aomine felt like a complete douche. All he wanted was his best friend back, but as he thought about it, he wondered to himself, did he really deserve to have him back? Maybe Kuroko was ok staying here. 

Maybe the intruder in Kuroko’s life was not Kagami, but him.

The five walked into the school with complete astonishment. Even Akashi seemed impressedby the size of the school. It looked like a university campus, though that may have been because the school had every grade, from kindergarten to 12h grade. Still, it was immensely big and looked extremely expensive.

“Wow, I never would have expected a high school to be so big. Makes my school look like a wimp.” Kise said in awe and everyone grudgingly accepted that except for Akashi, who still believed that Rakuzan was the best.

“Akashi, how are we going to find Kuroko in this? It would be like finding a needle in a haystack.” Midorima distressed and everyone else groaned.

“Shit, it’s going to be more than that. Tetsu’s presence is still weak as hell. It’ll be like trying to find a fucking _invisible_ needle in a haystack at this point.”

“Aka-chin, I’m hungry. Does Kuro-chin have a _bento_? Murasakibara groaned pitifully as he held his stomach, completely ignoring the stares they were getting from the actual students in the school.

“Let’s find a secluded place. We are attracting too much attention.” Midorima added, uncomfortable with the stares. Akashi nodded in agreement and they decided to act like actual visitors as they took a table at Starbucks. (“What kind of high school has a fucking _Starbucks_ inside? This is complete bullshit! Why doesn’t Touo have one, too?”)

They bought coffee, courtesy of Akashi, and all sat down, exhausted. The bell rang and the students all scurried to go into their classes.

“What’s the plan?” MIdorima asked cautiously as he took a small sip of his expresso. 

Akashi also took a drink from his Americano. “I’ll let you choose. Shall we wait outside one of his classes and talk to him when classes are over, or introduce ourselves inside the classroom?”

“Uh, come again?” Aomine asked with a dumb expression. Kise followed his exampleunconsciously. Murasakibara was too focused on his hot chocolate to notice.

“Akashi, you’re not actually suggesting that we go inside a class that is in session, are you?” Midorima said in horror and Akashi smirked.

“While I do understand your concern, Shintarou, it is a valid option. We are pressed for time and if we just go in and take Tetsuya outside to talk, we could easily resolve this and go back home as soon as possible. I doubt some of you want to spend 80 minutes waiting, so the second option is completely valid.”

“Wait, what do you mean 80 minutes?” Kise asked after the shock had passed.

“The school’s scheduling system is very different from ours. Instead of having 7~8 classes that are 50 minutes, there is only 4 and all are 80 minutes each with occasionally breaks and lunch.” Akashi explained.

“Damn, I don’t know which one’s worse.” Aomine commented and surprisingly, Murasakibara nodded.

“It’s such a hassle to stay in a classroom for more than an hour.” Murasakibara drawled uninterestingly. “Let’s just go in. Not like we’re gonna hurt anyone.”

“I didn’t actually think you’d participate Murasakibaracchi. Well, I agree. I’d rather just go in and get it over with.”

“You’re kidding me, right?” Midorima cut off with dread evident on his face. “We can’t just barge into a classroom! It would be more than disrespectful!”

“We’re not in Japan anymore, Midorimacchi. Loosen up a bit!”

“Just because we’re in the States doesn’t mean that respect isn’t here!”

“Mido-chin is so uptight.” Murasakibara droned, taking a gulp of his hot chocolate with glee.

“I am not uptight!” Midorima flushed in anger. He turned to Aomine for back up. “Aomine, what are you going to do?”

“Um…” Aomine responded and rubbed the back of his head. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt, would it? It’s not like we’re going to threaten anyone, and I’m sure Tetsu’ll agree to talk to us. The faster, the better.”

With three against one, Midorima couldn’t say no anymore, but instead laid the condition that he didn’t go inside and just wait for them.

“I, for one, will not disrupt a perfectly peaceful classroom.” He harrumphed and Akashi nodded.

“Well then, that’s settled. Shall we go now?” He asked and the others agreed.

“Where _are_ we going exactly?” Kise inquired.

“Tetsuya’s first class is math, on the third floor. There should be an elevator that can take us.”

Aomine blanched. “There’s a fucking elevator? What kind of high school is this?” The others couldn’t help but agree.

Akashi decided not to answer and asked one of the Starbacks workers.

_“And here I thought you were from this school. I was going to report you guys to the principal.”_ The worker expressed and Akashi gave him a smile with a subtle glare.

_“Is that so? Well, I’m glad that we were able to work out the misunderstanding before things got out of hand. The elevator?”_

The worker nodded. _“It’s just around the corner.”_

Akashi thanked him and gestured the four to follow him. They took the elevator to the third floor and were kind of glad that there was no one roaming the halls except for a few people who were most likely going to the bathroom. They stared at the five, amazed at both their heights and their hair colors, but thankfully, none had the courage to actually come up and ask them about it.

“Room 315.” Akashi revealed.

“Akashi, where exactly did you get Kuroko’s schedule?” Midorima asked in bewilderment.

“I have my sources.” Akashi replied and Midorima decided to say no more. He glanced at the others and all thought the same thing.

_Akashi has gone insane._

* * *

When they got to the front of the door, Aomine peered through a glass window but couldn’t spot Kuroko anywhere. His eyes, however, narrowed as he scowled at a familiar red headed student.

“That bastard…” Aomine remarked in anger as his fists clenched.

“Aominecchi, can you see Kurokocchi?” Kise questioned and Aomine reverted his attention back to them.

“No, I can’t. Goddamn it, you’d think he’d gain at least some presence. His aura changed so why is he still invisible?”

“His aura?” Midorima suddenly asked and Aomine nodded solemnly.

“You all felt it, too, didn’t you? When we saw him in the bus. He’s changed.” No one could deny that.

“Aka-chin, can you spot him?” Murasakibara asked and Akashi nodded, taking over Aomine’s place. Before he could look in, however, the door opened and an lady who was probably in her 50’s stuck her head out.

_“Excuse me,”_ the lady said with a hint of a Mexican accent, _“what do you think you’re doing in front of my classroom? You’re being annoying, so leave.”_ She articulated with a nasty look on her face. Akashi’s eyebrow merely twitched at the rudeness.

_“We actually have some business to take care of. Mind if we come in?”_

_“During my class?”_ She shrieked and at this point, everyone was looking at the window to see what was going on. 

Akashi didn’t lose his cool. _“Yes, it is important. Is Tetsuya Kuroko here?”_ He asked, ignoring the exploding face of the lady.

_“You are disrupting my class. get out immediately. If you want to talk to him, you can wait until the bell rings. Now leave.”_ And before anyone knew it, she slammed the door on Akashi Seijuuro’s face.

The four Generation of Miracles replayed the scene in horror as they quietly took steps away from the menacing red head. Said person was frozen in place, his face hidden from his growing bangs. Even the people who were walking down the hallway felt the brooding aura the Japanese student was letting off and carefully walked away, not wanting to deal with whatever was about to happen.

Akashi was silent for a few seconds, and when he finally opened his mouth, the four all braced for the worst.

“Atsushi.” Akashi called out and Murasakibara ran over to his side in a split second. Even the purple haired oblivious giant couldn’t afford to be lazy at a time like this.

“Yes, Aka-chin?” Murasakibara said in his usual voice, but the strained tone said otherwise.

“Break the door down and do not let the teacher interrupt us.” He ordered and Murasakibara hesitated.

“Eh? You want me to do that to the old lady?” He asked hesitantly. With the blessing of Akashi’s murdering gaze, Murasakibara flung himself onto the door, breaking it open.

Behind him, Midorima slapped himself on the forehead. “Did he not know that the teacher didn’t lock it? He could have just opened the door with the handle.” Kise and Aomine snickered in the background.

The teacher and the students all jumped as the door flung open and in came a foreign giant with eccentric hair, his eyes droopy but still intimidating.

_“What do you think you’re doing?”_ The teacher screeched but Murasakibara didn’t heed her as he walked in front of her and looked down. The teacher, being only 150cm, had no choice but to look up and stiffen at the daunting stare he was giving her.

Murasakibara looked at the white board for a second and scrunched his face.

“I hate math.” He said to no one before grabbing the shoulders of the teacher and making sure she couldn’t move.

_“What do you think you’re doing? Let me go!”_ The teacher shouted but Murasakibara wasn’t fazed at all.

“What a pain. Aka-chin, when can I let go?”

Akashi entered the room, as well as Aomine and Kise. Midorima stayed behind, watching the scene from afar and glaring at hallway students to mind their own business.

“As soon as Tetsuya comes with us. I do see you, Tetsuya.” Akashi said as he raised his head and glowered at the teacher for a second before glancing at the pale blue haired boy who looked like he was trying to hide himself with his arms.

_“I will get you reported for this! Let me go!”_ The teacher kept screaming but the Generation of Miracles barely heard her. The students in her class could only stare since it was still too early for them for their brains to process what was happening. Then,

“Oi, what the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

Akashi turned his head to see who it was and wasn’t surprised to see Kagami Taiga standing up in rage. 

Aomine stepped forward. “Mind your own business.”

Kagami moved forward as well, though some of his friends tried to stop him. “This is my fucking class you’re disturbing.”

“Yeah, well, it doesn’t involve you, so just go back to your seat.” The two hotheads glared at each other profoundly, hating each other at first sight.

Kise just looked helplessly until Akashi ordered him to get Kuroko. The copy cat walked slowly, avoiding everyone’s gaze and feeling more and more guilt. When he arrived at Kuroko’s seat, he hesitantly touched his shoulder.

“Kurokocchi, let’s go.” He said softly. Kuroko didn’t respond and didn’t raise his head from the desk. Kise wanted nothing more but to let him be, but when he glanced back at Akashi and saw his gaze, he had no choice.

“Come on, Kurokocchi. You have to come with us or Murasakibaracchi won’t let go of the teacher. Please, before Akashicchi does anything else.” He said in a whisper so that only Kuroko could hear it.

Though his head was still down, Kuroko finally responded.

“Why are you doing this?” His voice was muffled but Kise could hear him so clearly that he just wanted this to never have happened.

“I’m so sorry, Kurokocchi.” Kise said but held onto his shoulder to make him get up.

“Hey, let go of Tetsu!” A voice demanded and Kise saw that it was Kagami. He was done scowling at Aomine and was walking over to them.

“Kagami-kun, it is fine. I need to talk to them anyways. It would better to finish this as fast as I can.” Kuroko cut off before Kagami could do anything else. Said person hesitated in place but with a solemn nod, he walked back. The friends who had tried to stop him a while back surrounded him, asking him questions, but Kagami told them that he didn’t know himself.

Kise and Kuroko walked to the front where Akashi was waiting for them. Kuroko still had his head down, but shrugged Kise’s hand off and walked to Murasakibara instead of acknowledging Akashi.

“Murasakibara-kun, please let go of the teacher.” Kuroko said.

“Eh? But Aka-chin said to not make her interrupt us.”

“She will not. We will talk outside. Please let go of her.” Kuroko said once more and Murasakibara looked at Akashi for confirmation. When the red head nodded, Murasakibara reluctantly let go. 

The teacher, obviously shaken up, didn’t know how to react. Kuroko walked up to her and bowed 90 degrees, making her even more uncomfortable.

_“I am so sorry for what has happened. This is my fault and I will try to fix this as fast as I can. Until then, please continue with the class as if nothing has happened. I am so, terribly sorry.”_ Kuroko apologized with his head down and the teacher couldn’t say anything back. She just nodded and the Generation of Miracles all walked outside with Kuroko.

The door closed, students both inside and outside the classroom talked in whispers about what just happened, and Kuroko finally raised his head to see each and one of his former teammates and friends.

Akashi went straight to the point. “Tetsuya, I want an explanation for this. Why in the world did you move to the States without telling us?”

Kuroko said nothing and just looked at Kise, who felt more and more exposed under the phantom man’s stare.

“Tetsuya.” Akashi demanded and Kuroko sighed before looking at the red head. His eyes portrayed so much sorrow that even Akashi was caught off guard.

“Why did you come here?” Kuroko instead asked. “How did you even know where I was at?”

“Ah, Momocchi told us.” Kise supplied and Kuroko’s eyes widened slightly.

“Momoi-san told you?”

Aomine rubbed the back of his neck. “Ah, kind of.” He was being vague but Kuroko understood the implied meaning. Of course she wouldn’t just tell them. Of course she would be forced to.

“You never did answer my question. Why did you come?” Kuroko asked once more and the four looked at the emperor.

“To bring you back home. What else?” Akashi said simply and Kuroko looked at him blank eyed.

“This is my home.” Kuroko answered back and Akashi’s heterochromatic eye twitched.

“That is just preposterous. You’re a Japanese student who has lived in Japan for his whole life. You should be in Japan right now, battling us.”

“LA is my home now, Akashi-kun. I like playing basketball here.” Kuroko emphasized and this time, Akashi’s fists clenched.

“What does that mean?”

“Exactly what I am saying. I do not intend to leave any time soon. I love being here.”

The spectators put their guards up as the two basketball players had another stare contest, this time more intense and definitely more frightening. Kuroko was unfazed at Akashi’s glower and after a moment, the phantom sixth man turned his head and walked a few steps back.

“Akashi-kun, you have disrupted so much in so little time. I suggest you leave, before anything else goes wrong. Goodbye.” And with that, Kuroko bowed and entered the classroom once more, closing the broken door and walking back to his seat silently.

Kagami looked back at the window to send an intimidating glare at the five but stopped when everyone inside the classroom heard a piercing shout of anger and a object being hit hard.

The four Generation of Miracles just didn’t know what to do when Akashi Seijuuro held his right eye as he roared in pain as he punched the nearest locker, leaving a dent in the process.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: my school actually does have a Starbucks inside high school. It's a great place to get food after school before club activities start and while it is expensive, the food's edible enough so I'm sold (and coffee for the morning for students like me to drink because they pulled an all-nighter is just heavenly.)
> 
> There is also a really mean math teacher who kind of speaks like that all the time. She has scarred me for the rest of my high school days but she's really good at teaching math so I guess I can't really complain.


	4. Chapter 4

“I’m so sorry, Tetsu-kun.”

“It is alright, Momoi-san. I understand that you couldn’t do anything about it.”

“But still, I promised you and I let you down.” Momoi sniffled. Kuroko sighed as he proceeded to comfort the girl. It was now brunch, which was about 20 minutes long, and the Generation of Miracles was nowhere to be found. After the fiasco in first period and the ear-splitting scream courtesy of Akashi Seijuuro, they soon left the third floor and Kuroko couldn’t find them since. Instead, he decided to call Momoi for some clarification about what happened while he was gone. Now he had the task of telling the girl that it was alright.

“Momoi-san, you couldn’t do anything about it. Please do not take it to heart.” Kuroko said once more and he heard Momoi taking a deep breath.

“I’m sorry.” She said once more. “I didn’t think Akashi-kun would go this far.”

“Neither did I.” Kuroko said as he silently greeted his friends. Kagami sat next to him beside the lockers and listened intently to what Kuroko was talking about. Kuroko, still busy with Momoi, couldn’t have him turn away.

“I mean he was kind of out of it for most of our middle school days after you left. It seemed like he really just wanted to know where you were.”

“I doubt it would be as simple as that, Momoi-san.” Kagami gave Kuroko a questioning look and he just ignored it.

“Yeah, I guess. It was really scary, you know? He wasn’t himself. He was like a completely different person.”

“Momoi-san, I believe we had already established that when he won against Murasakibara-kun.”

He could literally hear her shake her head in disagreement. “No, it was worse than that. He’s not the kind of person to just throw someone to the ground, especially someone who’s in such a high class. He’s a person with manners but back then, he just completely lost it.”

“Really?” Kuroko asked, genuinely surprised. To think that Akashi would really go that far.

“Because of me?” Kuroko questioned guiltily.

“Tetsu-kun, don’t you dare blame yourself for this. If there’s anyone to blame, it should be me. I’m the one who told when I promised you that I wouldn’t.”

“Momoi-san, anyone would have done it, not just you. Do not blame yourself. I have to go, it’s almost the end of the break. I’ll talk to you later.” Kuroko said and ended the call with Momoi. Kagami, who was still there with him, gave him the same questioning look.

“Who was that?” He asked and Kuroko sighed at the bluntness that was Kagami.

“A friend.”

“In Japan?” Kagami asked and Kuroko nodded. “Wait, but you called her on your phone. Isn’t the call bill insane for just that?”

Kuroko’s jaw opened slightly. “Oh.”

Kagami couldn’t help but laugh. “You idiot!” He yelled in glee as he ruffled Kuroko’s hair.

“ _Uh, guys? We still can’t talk in Japanese. Stop discriminating.”_ Eddy interrupted as the others in their friend group nodded.

Kagami, still laughing, responded. “ _Sorry, just that this idiot forgot that international calls are hella expensive.”_ Kuroko nudged him strongly and Kagami doubled over. The others cracked up.

“ _You guys really are best friends, aren’t you?”_ Eddy commented.

“ _Like two peas in a pod.”_ Another one said.

“ _But guys, you really should’ve seen what happened in the morning. It was insane! The new kids, the really weird Japanese people with their even weirder hair colors, they just barged in Alavarez’s class like it was nothing!”_ Eddy exclaimed and the others turned towards him.

“ _Wait, you lost us. What happened?”_

Eddy’s face brightened. “ _So the new kids entered the classroom, looking for TK, and Alvarez couldn’t do anything about it because the tallest kid from the group, the one with purple hair, put her in her place, right? And the red head looked like he wanted to kill everyone, so they succeeded in taking TK out.”_

_“Ugh, don’t remind me. God, I hate that blue head.”_ Kagami grumbled and Kuroko stayed quiet, merely listening to their conversation.  
“ _Next thing you know, Alvarez is so shaken up that she just can’t even talk at all and we’re here, confused out of our mind by who these people are to make her like that. And when TK comes back into the classroom, someone screams and April’s locker is completely dented. It was complete chaos.”_

_“Damn, poor April. She’s probably going to have to change her locker. But wow, can’t believe all that happened in the morning. Why did they want to see you anyways, TK?”_ A Swedish boy with sandy blonde hair and blue eyes asked Kuroko. The others, also curious, all looked at the phantom man intently, making said person uncomfortable.

“ _You really shouldn’t pry into stuff like this, Felix. It was a conversation that was between me and them only. It’s complicated to explain.”_ Kuroko tried to evade and thankfully, it worked. Everyone in the friend group already knew of Kuroko’s conservative nature and they knew when to stop at the line. Kagami, however, wasn’t convinced.

“Tetsu, you can tell me, you know?” Kagami whispered in Japanese and Kuroko subtly nodded.

“Thank you for your concern, Kagami-kun, but this is really between me and them.”

“If they’re going to be complete assholes, then it’s my job as your best friend to do something about it, ok? I’m not just going to sit back here and let you handle all of the work. It’s pretty huge, isn’t it? Sometimes, you can give me some of the burden, ok?”

Kuroko gave him a small smile. “Thank you.”

At that moment, the bell rang that signified the end of brunch and the start of second period. Kagami and Kuroko had English next and Kuroko dreaded going there. They needed to present something and Kuroko absolutely hated public speaking.

Kagami nudged him. “Just do as we planned. You’ll be fine.” And with that, Kuroko took a deep breath and nodded. Kagami smiled big as he wrapped a shoulder around the smaller man. They didn’t notice a glaring blue head in the background.

* * *

“God, I hate that Kagami bastard.” Aomine growled as he turned away from the two and back to where the others were hiding in. There was fortunately a passageway that was a good hiding spot for them to stay at. They were even luckier to find out that the hiding spot was right next to Kuroko’s locker where he was at in brunch.

Midorima sighed. “He’s just doing what a normal friend does.”

“Yeah? Well, it should’ve been me next to him and making him look stupid, not him!” Aomine bursted as he sat down next to a reticent Kise. Akashi was nowhere to be found.

“Hey, what do you think happened back there?” Kise finally talked and the others suddenly got very uneasy. After Akashi screamed painfully, he took off without informing any of them. They had no idea where he was and were scared of what stunt he would pull next.

“Don’t you guys think he’s a bit unstable?” Kise added on and the others rubbed the back of their necks.

“Yeah, he kind of did. And that scream sounded really painful.” Aomine responded.

“Do you think he’s ok?” Kise asked.

“He’s Akashi. Isn’t that enough?” Midorima said as he pushed his glasses up to hide his uncertain eyes.

“But Aka-chin wasn’t really Aka-chin.” Murasakibara said while eating on snacks he had brought with him to school.

“I really think we should find him. Who knows what he’ll do if he’s like this?” Kise proclaimed as he stood up. Midorima took his arm and pulled him back down.

“What was that for?”

“Idiot, we’ll be dead if we find Akashi at his weakest point. He’s probably hiding from us, trying to get a grip of himself. We’ll probably be decapitated if we find Akashi and he sees that we know he’s not himself.”

“But he’s our friend!” Kise exclaimed.  
“Are you sure about that?” Midorima said bitterly and Kise couldn’t say any more.

“He’s - He -“ Kise stuttered but Midorima cut him off.

“Can you really call him a friend even after he’s dragged us into this mess? When he’s forced us to go to a country almost opposite from ours and to make fools of ourselves in front of strangers? Can you really call him a friend?” Midorima glared.

“Mido-chin?”

“Oi, Midorima, are you ok?” Aomine and Murasakibara both asked in worry. Midorima looked away from them and suddenly stood up.

“I’m fine. I’m going for a walk. Don’t follow me.” He said without looking at them and soon left the hiding spot to roam the now empty halls.

Kise bit his lip as he watched the green-haired player walk away. “Guys, I’ve never seen Midorimacchi like that before. He’s never lost his cool like that. This is just getting worse and worse.”

“Maybe it’s the jet lag.” Aomine tried to explain.

“Then wouldn’t we be the same way? I’m really worried for both of them now. What if something goes wrong without our help? I think I’m going to follow Midorimacchi and try to help. You guys can stay here while I’m gone. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” And before anyone could protest, Kise hurried along to catch up with Midorima.

Only Aomine and Murasakibara were left and there was an awkward silence settling in. They hadn’t really talked much since middle school and even then, Aomine wasn’t as friendly with Murasakibara as he was with the others. There was always a barrier between them, preventing them from becoming more than just acquaintances.

Just when the silence became unbearable, to Aomine’s relief, Murasakibara began the conversation.  
“Ne, Mine-chin? Do you think everything’ll be alright?”

Aomine shook his head. “How am I supposed to know? Midorima and Akashi are going completely bonkers and we have no idea why.”

“Maybe Mido-chin can understand Aka-chin’s pain.”  
Aomine furrowed his eyebrows. “What do you mean?”

Murasakibara shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe since Mido-chin was most close with Aka-chin, he would know more about him than us.”

“It’s possible, but I still can’t understand why he would burst out like that. It’s not like Midorima at all.” Aomine said in confusion, still not being able to understand what was happening.

Murasakibara shrugged once more. “I wanna go back home.” He whined as he took another bite of his snack. He really did look like a baby.

“What can we do? The flight is a month away. Maybe Akashi can change it when we go back to his summer house. I think I’m done with this place anyways.”

“It is because of Kuro-chin and Kagami?” Murasakibara inquired and Aomine froze.

“What do you mean?”

“Except for Aka-chin, you’re getting really mad about them.”

“Is it my fault for acting like this? Tetsu pretty much replaced me with that son of a bitch!” Aomine finally exploded and immediately stopped when he replayed the words in his mind. he just admitted to himself that he was replaced by a possibly better person than he. Just the thought of it made him sick.

“Mine-chin?” Murasakibara asked as he looked at the tanned student and Aomine’s fists clenched in anger.

“I’ll show Tetsu who’s the boss. Does that Kagami bastard play basketball?”

Murasakibara shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe. I didn’t get a good look at him.”

“He should. He’s with Tetsu, and Tetsu’s a basketball idiot. I know what I’ll do. I’ll challenge him in front of Tetsu and all his friends and completely crush him. You can help, Murasakibara. We’ll get the whole Generation of Miracles to play and we’ll show them who’s the best.” Aomine declared with a fierce determination.  
“What a pain.” Murasakibara commented but anyone could see that he was getting fired up as well. He was sick and tired of being in America. Crushing his opponents would probably be worth the whole trip.

* * *

“Midorimacchi, wait up!” Kise called out as he ran towards the green haired student. Said person didn’t respond and kept walking quickly, not wanting to deal with Kise right now. Kise, however, was oblivious to it and kept following him.

“What do you want?” Midorima finally yelled as he stopped. Kise huffed as he tried to regain his breath.

“You walk way too fast, Midorimacchi!” Kise complained before taking a few more breaths. Then, he looked at Midorima was pitiful eyes. Midorima hated that look so much. It was that kind of look that made him feel so vulnerable.

“Midorimacchi, what happened back there?” Kise asked once he settled down. 

Midorima threw his hands up in annoyance. “I don’t know! I was angry and I shouted a few things, that’s all! What? Can’t I get angry sometime in my life? I’m still human!” Midorima shouted as he collapsed on the stairs. he covered his face to not let Kise see it.

Kise sat next to him and looked at the ceiling. “I know.”

Midorima looked up in surprise. “What?”

Kise smiled softly at Midorima, making him wonder if this was the Kise he knew. “I said that I know. I know you’re human and I know that you have emotions that you want to let out sometimes. It’s just that, you’ve been holding it in for so long that it was a surprise when you suddenly bursted out like that.”

Both were silent as Midorima took those words in. Was he really the type of person to bottle everything up until it was too late? 

“It’s ok if you talk to me about it. I’ll listen to what you’ll say.” Kise then said and Midorima couldn’t help but give him a small smile. Was this really the same Kise he knew from high school? No, it was more like the Kise he knew from middle school, when things were still ok.

Midorima took a deep breath. “I was just angry at the fact that Akashi would order us like that, even more so for something as big as this. He can’t just go commanding people to go to the opposite side of Japan as if he were ordering sushi or something. His arrogance is just really getting to me, I guess you can say.”

“It’s Akashicchi, though. It’s not like we can help it. He wasn’t always like this, you know that.”

“But that is not an excuse. He’s not absolute. He’s not always right.”

“But at the same time, if he doesn’t tell himself that, who knows what’ll happen? You should know this better than anyone, Midorimacchi. How he strives too hard because of his dad. It’s not something a normal person could handle. All great people are a little bit insane inside. It’s how they deal with their limits, you know?”

“He’s becoming a little bit too insane if you ask me.”

Kise shrugged. “Maybe. But then again, Kurokocchi outright disobeyed him. It must’ve been a big blow to his pride. Akashicchi was so sure that Kurokocchi would come back with us, but now, he’s probably questioning himself if he’s truly always right.”

“He was clutching his right eye, wasn’t he?” Midorima suddenly said and Kise jumped.

“Huh? I think so, but why?”

“It’s the same eye that changed color. I think his former self is trying to get back in control.”

Kise gasped. “Do you really think so? Do you think we can get Akashicchi back to how he was when we were in middle school?”

Midorima sighed. “I don’t know. In the meantime, I suggest we look for him.”

“But aren’t you the one who prevented me from doing so?”

“I did, but since we may have some evidence that Akashi might turn back to himself, we need to find him quickly. We need to confirm if he’s really going to change back.”

Kise was already standing up. “Then what’re we waiting for?” The blonde said enthusiastically as he lent Midorima a hand. He took it gratefully and Kise pulled him up. They started moving to find the red head but before that, Midorima couldn’t help it. He had to say it.

“Thank you, Kise, for listening to me.”

Kise smiled at him. “What are friends for?” And with those words, Midorima told himself that, yes, they really were friends after all. He smiled at the blonde secretly and the two started the search for Akashi.

* * *

It stopped as soon as it started. They had gone to the first floor and immediately froze when they heard Akashi throughout the hallway. They gave each other a look before running towards the sound and they found themselves in front of a door that led to an English room. They peered in and saw with horror Akashi intruding on a group of people that were in front of the classroom.

Akashi was paler than usual and he was still holding his right eye in pain. He swayed a bit, making it look like he was drunk, and was currently holding none other than Kuroko Tetsuya by the shoulders.

“Tetsuya, get out here. I need to talk to you.” Akashi ordered and Kuroko looked like he didn’t know what to do. Kagami, Kuroko’s new partner, looked close to ripping Akashi to shreds.

“Oi, get off him!” Kagami sauntered forward but at the last second, Akashi grabbed his shoulder and hit a nerve point, making Kagami fall to the ground in complete shock.

“ _Tiger, are you ok?”_ The Swedish boy, Felix, said as he stood from his desk and ran over to him. Kagami, still in shock, couldn’t reply back.

Akashi soon turned his attention back to Kuroko and said person was just looking at Kagami in terror, something that wasn’t hard to deduce this time.

“Akashi-kun, what did you do?” Kuroko asked, visibly shaking. The teacher herself didn’t know what to do with the commotion. She had already heard about the morning fiasco and how the red head wasn’t supposed to be messed with, but at the same time, she was the teacher, the person who had to command authority, and she had just witnessed one of her students fall down from a simple pinch on the shoulder.

“Tetsuya, come with me now.” Akashi demanded once more and Kuroko didn’t know what to do.

“ _Excuse me, mind waiting outside? You’re disrupting the presentations._ ” The teacher finally decided to say but it did absolutely nothing as Akashi merely glared at her, making her heart almost stop at the immense intimidation he radiated.

“Akashi-kun, please stop. You’re getting out of control.” Kuroko tried to calm down.

“Then, come outside. Now.” Kuroko had no choice now.

“Oi, Kuroko, don’t listen to that bastard!” Kagami called out but Kuroko was already out the door.Kise and Midorima hid just in time and were thankfully close enough to hear the conversation between Akashi and Kuroko.

“Akashi-kun, why? Why would you do this?” Kuroko distressed. “You’re not only disrupting the class, but also the entire school. Why?”

“You’re coming with us back to Japan. Do this and we’ll never bother this school again. Deal?”

“Why are you so intent on taking me back? LA is my home.”

“Japan is your home. You’ve lived there your entire life. You’re supposed to be in Japan, playing basketball against us.”

“I don’t want that!” Kuroko yelled and Akashi’s eyes grew wide. 

“What did you say?” Akashi asked, shocked.

“I said I don’t want that. Akashi-kun, I don’t want to be in a place where I have to battle my own friends as if we were always enemies!”

“That’s what matches are for! You battle them as _if_ they were enemies! What else is there when it comes to matches?”  
“But it wouldn’t be the same. You would never even suggest that we were all once friends. I don’t want that!”

“You can’t have everything you want in life,Tetsuya!”

“I have it all here! Everything I’ve always wanted and desired, I have it all here!” Kuroko said loudly, making Akashi stop for a second. Kuroko took that moment to keep going.

“I have everything I want here. I have a good education, great friends, and so many chances of playing basketball for fun and only for fun. It’s not just about winning, Akashi-kun.”

“Winning is everything.” Akashi growled.

“It isn’t. Why do you think I left?” Kuroko asked exasperatedly.

“Tell me, then! Tell me the exact reason why you left us without saying a _single goddamn word_!” Akashi exploded, sick and tired of not knowing.

Kuroko lifted his head to make himself as confident as he could. “Do you really want to know why? Then, I’ll tell you. _I hated basketball_.”

“What?” Akashi said incredulously as his eyes widened once more.

“I hated basketball, Akashi-kun. Back when we were in middle school, our last championship match. I was in the infirmary because of my injury and I told you not to go easy on the last opponent, my childhood friend’s school. And yet, you played them, fixing the score to your own liking. You not only embarrassed and crushed my friend’s love for basketball, but you also did the same for me. I couldn’t see you all, much less be next to you when you got your medals and trophy. Why should I have been in such a position? 

“I was sick and tired of it. So tired of apologizing to the others for such a horrible match, so tired of having everyone talk behind your backs and not being able to refute them because I knew all of their scorns were true. That the Generation of Miracles were nothing but monsters, _killers_. And I so sick and tired of being nothing but a useless burden you had to carry. I hated basketball to the point where I would vomit at the sight of it. And now you’re telling me you’re taking me back to the same place where I was suffering? I don’t want to go back, Akashi-kun. So please, as a last request, go back to Japan and forget about me. Please.”

There was a silence surrounding the two Japanese students. Kuroko was close to crying, just like last time when he told his parents why he wanted to go some place far away from Japan. Then, after a moment or two, Akashi opened his mouth.

“So you hate basketball, don’t you?” He whispered and Kuroko looked at the red head in fear.

“Akashi-kun?” Kuroko asked hesitantly but stopped when he saw a smile on his face.

“But now that you’re here, you’re finally happy again? I doubt it.”

“Akashi-kun, what are you thinking?” Kuroko stepped away from him, and even Kise and Midorima wanted to leave. This was too much.

“Then, maybe, I should just crush you even more. Then you’ll never want to come back here again and move back to Japan. That’s a good idea, isn’t it?” Akashi asked with that same smile on his face, making Kuroko want to run.

“We should have a basketball match, Tetsuya. The five us against your group of friends. Let’s see what happens then. What do you say?”

“I -” Kuroko started to say, still shocked, when the door opened and out came Kagami. Akashi’s eye twitched at the sight of him.

“Fine, we’ll do it.” Kagami answered for Kuroko and Akashi then smiled once more.

“I don’t think I asked you to join in, Kagami Taiga.”

“You talk to him, you talk to me. And I said that we’re doing it. Bring it on.” Kagami said with determination in his eyes and Akashi smirked.

“Then, it’s settled.”

“Wait, Kagami-kun, you can’t -” Kuroko tried to interfere but Kagami just ruffled his hair.

“It’s fine, Tetsu. We can take them.”

“But -”

“Do you trust us?” Kagami asked seriously and Kuroko contemplated it for a second. Then, with a small smile on his face, he nodded.

“I do.”

Kagami grinned. Akashi’s eye twitched once more. “Then, that’s enough.” Kagami turned to Akashi. “So, when should we have the match?”

“Two weeks from now. I’m feeling generous today so I’ll give you some time to prep before the match.”

“Are you underestimating us, bastard?” Kagami growled as he took Akashi by the collar. He was still smirking.

“Isn’t it obvious?” He commented and Kagami was close to punching him.

“Kagami-kun, don’t.” Kuroko said just in time and Kagami let go of Akashi reluctantly.

“If you’re so fucking confident, then why shouldn’t we just have it after school? Everyone’s free.”

“Like I said, I’m feeing generous. You’ll need all the practice you can get. Tetsuya can explain more, right?” Akashi asked as he looked towards the phantom man. Kuroko swallowed and looked away. Kagami saw the act and his fists clenched. It was the first time he saw Kuroko like this and he didn’t like one bit.

“Fine, we’ll go by your rules. Two weeks from now, we’ll have the match here. Five players only? No substitute players?”

“You can have as many as you like.” Akashi waved off, making Kagami even more pissed off.

“Oi, you wanna fucking go?”

“Kagami-kun, not now. We have to get back to class.” Kuroko interrupted and Kagami took a deep breath to calm himself.

“I’ll tolerate this for now. Wait till we see each other in two weeks, asshole.” And with that, Kuroko took Kagami inside the classroom.

Akashi took his right eye and held it tightly, trying to let the pain go away.

“Ryouta, Shintarou, let’s go.” He then ordered and the two Generation of Miracles froze. Then, they moved out of their hiding spot.

“How did you know we were here?” Kise asked awkwardly.

“I am absolute, Ryouta. I know everything. Let’s go to Daiki and Atsushi. I’m sure they will delighted to find out that we have match coming up.” Akashi smirked and walked forward. Kise and Midorima looked at each other, scared, because it was the same smile Akashi had when he was determined to murder the opponent’s love for basketball.

They had a really bad feeling about this but nevertheless, followed after him, unable to do anything else. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did anyone get MidoKise feels? Because I know I did! Also, before anyone swears at Akashi for being a complete douche (which I completely understand), you gotta understand that he's going through problems of his own :)


	5. Chapter 5

“Oi, Kise!” Aomine’s voice rang out and Kise turned back to see Aomine and Murasakibara walking towards them. They somewhat seemed to look determined.

“Aominecchi, we’re all here. Akashicchi wants to tell us something.” Kise called back and soon the Generation of Miracles were reunited. The four all looked at each other discretely, all giving each other uncomfortable looks as Akashi was silent the entire time. Aomine nudged Kise from behind.

“What happened?” He whispered and Kise shook his head.

“A lot of things, Aominecchi. Kurokocchi, he…”

“Tetsu? What about him? You talked to him? What did he say?”

Once again, Kise shook his head in anguish. “I’ll tell you later, but… It was really shocking. What he said… I never knew.”

Aomine looked at Kise in confusion but before he could say anything else, Akashi started talking.

“We’re going to have a basketball match two weeks from now. We will win and we will take Tetsuya back with us, understood?”

Everyone looked at each other, not knowing what to say to that. Then,

“Muro-chin and I were thinking the same. I’ll crush them.” Murasakibara said simply as he shrugged and proceeded to open another bag of chips. Akashi nodded, satisfied, and looked at the others.

“Understood? We will beat Tetsuya, and beat them to the ground.”

“Is that Kagami bastard playing, too?” Aomine asked, eyes flaring. Akashi smiled darkly and nodded.

“He’s the one who brought it up in the first place. I’m sure you can beat him, Daiki.”

Aomine gave an evil smile. “Oh, trust me. When I’m done with him, he won’t be able to even touch a basketball ever again.” Kise could only look away.

“Wait, but why two weeks from now? Let’s just get it over with and take Tetsu back with us.” Aomine suddenly said.

“I was feeling generous. They’ll need all the practice they can get. Not that the result will change.” Akashi responded, shrugging. “For the time being, you may do whatever you want. We _are_ in Los Angeles after all. Go to the beach and rest if you want. Take this time as vacation and enjoy yourselves. That is all.” And before anyone could say anything, Akashi left without another word.

Midorima sighed deeply as he collapsed on the stairs behind him. Murasakibara merely left to the cafeteria to get more food. He finally mastered how to say his orders perfectly and he couldn’t be happier.

“Oi, Kise.” Aomine said and Kise looked at him with dread filling his eyes.

“Yeah?”

Aomine gestured to him to follow him. “Come on, we’re talking about this. You’re not avoiding the topic.” And Kise, unable to escape, had no choice but to follow him.

When they got to an area secluded, Aomine turned to Kise and gave him a pointed look.

“What happened while you and Midorima were searching for Akashi?”

Kise rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, we found him pretty easily. He was barging into another classroom again and made Kurokocchi come out. They talked for a bit and then we came back. That’s all.”

Aomine crossed his arms. “You’re lying. You’re not telling me everything.”

“I told you everything that happened while me and Midorimacchi were there. What else do you need?” Kise sounded so tired.

Aomine wasn’t buying. “What did they talk about? What was so shocking for you?”

Kise shook his head. “I don’t want to relive it again.”

Aomine took Kise by the shoulders and started shaking him. “I want to know! What did Tetsu say? Why don’t you want to tell me?”

Kise tried to shake Aomine’s hands off but to no use. He was also starting to get tired, tired of everything. Even though Kise and Kuroko weren’t as great friends as him and Aomine, Kuroko was still his mentor and cherished friend, and to have heard that he hated basketball, how he was close to cutting his own life short, it just killed Kise.

“If you want to know, you can talk to him yourself. I, for one, am going to try and make things right.” And just like that, as soon as Aomine got caught off guard by Kise’s glare, he shook free and ran away. Aomine was going to chase after him but at that moment, the bell rang and soon enough, the hallways were crowded with students walking to their next class. Aomine soon lost sight of Kise and sighed while running a hand through his hair.

How could he go to Kuroko after all that happened to them? It was obvious they weren’t friends anymore, not after what he had done to his partner, so it wouldn’t be easy to get close to him, much less talk to him. There was also Kagami to deal with. They seemed like two peas in a pod, just like they were in middle school. There was no way he could possibly break them up.

But, of course, that didn’t mean he wouldn’t try.

* * *

When school finally ended, Kise was still searching for Kuroko, or at least Kagami. After departing from Aomine, he spent his time looking for Kuroko, trying to find where he was at, but due to his lack of presence, in the end, Kise couldn’t figure out any of the classes he had. He didn’t want to go to Akashi for help because he was still very insecure about the red-head, and he definitely didn’t want to meet up with the others. He knew what they were doing was wrong the moment Momoi was thrown to the ground, but like a coward, he did nothing and watched everything unfold into this mess. Now, Kuroko was probably blaming them for the chaos they’ve caused (which definitely was their fault), and Kise wanted nothing more but to apologize and at least try to reconcile again.

There wasn’t a high chance of that happening, but that didn’t mean he should give up. It looked impossible but he still wanted to try. He wanted to be friends with Kuroko again.

Students were walking in all kinds of directions, but luckily, Kise was able to figure out the flow of the hallways, he was able to easily pass through the crowd. He waited behind the corner and saw Kagami heading to the lockers were Kise was at. He was chatting with his friends, Eddy, Felix, another person he didn’t know, and when Kise focused intensely, he found Kuroko in the flesh, also talking but still keeping his blank, poker face.

“ _So, we go into History and we wait for the teacher to come, right?”_ Kagami began and the others were listening intently. “ _It’s like five minutes she doesn’t come in, even after the bell rang and when she finally does, she looks absolutely horrible. Literally, green in the face. So, she walks in, looks at us, goes to board to write something, and then leaves.”_

Felix started laughing. _“Just like that?”_

Kagami began laughing, too, as well as Eddy, who was in the same class as him. _“Just like that. Then, a few minutes later, a sub comes in, reads what the teacher had written on the board, and then completely ignores us. She just goes to her computer and starts playing country music. We all look at each other once and next thing you know, Alex takes out his Beats Speaker and the whole classroom turns into a dance party. And the sub didn’t do a single thing.”_

_“So that’s the music I was hearing in English! What the hell, we were supposed to write an essay and we couldn’t focus at all. When we tried to complain, Dixie just said to ignore it; that it was her ‘favorite song’ or some shit like that. Everyone failed!”_ A person next to Felix, a student was only slightly taller than Kuroko, complained as he hit Eddy.

_“Ow! What the hell, Ben! What was that for?”_ Eddy whined and the person, Ben, glared at him jokingly.

_“You should’ve said something! You were in the same class as Alex, weren’t you?”_

_“And was so Tiger! Why aren’t you hitting him?”_ Eddy exclaimed while pointing to Kagami.

Ben then glared at Kagami and slapped him, too. Kagami wasn’t fazed in the least while Ben rubbed his hand. _”Because, no matter what you do, it won’t affect him in the slightest.”_ Kagami merely laughed.

_“Hey, at least you tried.”_ Kagami responded heartily.

_“I could hear also it, all the way in the second floor. We were also taking a test and we wanted to tell the teacher but she’s as deaf as a mule. Thanks to you, we all failed.”_ Kuroko added and Kagami ruffled his hair.

_“Take it out on Alex, Tetsu. Not our fault. We just had fun.”_

_“Oh, guys, are we going to stay after school?We still need to have our rematch. This time, I refuse to have Tiger and TK on the same team.”_ Eddy suddenly brought up and the other looked at each other with pleasant looks on their faces. They all nodded in agreement.

_“Last time you guys were in a team, you guys won by a landslide. It wasn’t even a game anymore.”_ Ben commented.

_“Stop trying to split us apart!”_ Kagami joked as he wrapped his arm around Kuroko’s shoulder. Kise’s fists clenched at the sight of it.

_“Is Sebastian coming, too? Wait, is he even here today?”_ Eddy asked as he looked around and Kagami smacked the back of his head. Eddy flew off, metaphorically that is.

_“Will you stop hitting me?”_ Eddy shouted when he came back to his original spot.

_“You’re the idiot who didn’t even know one of his friends wasn’t here today. He told us he had to get is passport renewed.”_ Kagami explained and Eddy got a dumb look on his face.

_“Oh, no wonder there wasn’t any puns thrown around today. Well, how are we going to play basketball if we’re missing someone?”_

Everyone shrugged. _“Maybe someone could be the referee?”_ Ben suggested but Kuroko shook his head.

_“April told me she could keep the score because she has to stay anyways for volleyball. We already have someone to referee.”_ With everyone stumped and Kise, who was following half of what they were saying, took the chance to enter the conversation.

_“Maybe I can help?”_ He said slowly, but clearly. The others looked surprised to see him while Kagami glared at him intensely and Kuroko merely widened his eyes in shock.

“Kise-kun, what are you doing here? Where is everybody else?” Kuroko asked in Japanese and Kise rubbed the back of his head uncomfortably.

“Ah, well, I got separated from the group. So, how about it? I can fill in for that missing person.” Kise changed the subject immediately and before anyone could say anything, Kagami went in front of Kuroko in a protective manner.

“Where’s the psychopath?” He asked harshly and Kise took a second to realize Kagami’s talking about Akashi.

“You mean Akashicchi? I have no clue. Like I said, I got separated from the group. I have absolutely no idea where everyone is. It’s probable that they all just left to go back to the summer house.”

Kagami raised his eyebrow. “And why didn’t you go with them?”

“I wanted to see Kurokocchi again!” Kise exclaimed and he tried to find a way around Kagami’s protective stance. He failed miserably.

“The hell are you even saying? What’s ‘Kurokocchi’?”

Kuroko pushed Kagami out of the way. “That is just Kise-kun’s way of saying names. He will always put the suffix -cchi to people he respects.” Kuroko explained and Kise finally took the chance to glomp over him, just like the old days.

“Kurokocchi, I missed you so much!” Kise said cheerfully and Kuroko had to hit him on the head to get him off. The others, who definitely could not speak Japanese, just stood there, uncomfortable by the sudden intruder.

_“You know, I’m really hating the fact that I’m not trilingual. Wait, scratch that. Let’s make it bilingual since I’m failing Spanish like a boss.”_ Eddy commented and approached Kise with a smile on his face.

_“You’re the one in the bus this morning, right? The one who waved while everyone just completely ignored this poor old man.”_

Kise smiled at him as well. _“Yup, that’s me. My name’s Ryouta Kise.”_

_“Edward Phillips, but everyone calls me Eddy.”_

_“Oh god, every time someone calls you Edward I can only think of the dude from Twilight.”_ Ben snickered from behind and Eddy smacked his head. He then turned back to Kise.

_“So, you play basketball? You asked if you could join us, right?”_ Kise nodded excitedly and Eddy wrapped an arm around him, surprising Kise for a second. _“I like this guy, definitely better than the other guys we’ve seen. Come on, let’s go before April kills us for being late.”_

Kise did a little happy dance in his mind as he began to follow the group. Kuroko slowed down and soon, the two were at the back. Kagami was about to join in but soon decided that this was Kuroko’s past life and he should be the one to handle it, not him. He no right in meddling into something like this, even if he didn’t trust the strangers yet.

“Kise-kun, why are you here?” was the first thing Kuroko asked him. Kise couldn’t even get his cheerful tone back when he heard it. He knew it was an accusing tone.

“I’m so sorry, Kurokocchi. We had no idea Akashicchi would go this far as to come to LA to see you. I didn’t know he would make such a ruckus here. We just wanted you to come back.”

“Why are you all so insistent on my coming back? What did I do to suddenly get your attention? To be honest, I believed that you would all forget about me sooner or later. How could you not forget me? Everyone does in the end.” Kuroko said and Kise noted the saddening look. He bit his lip when he realized he was one of the people who _did_ forget about him.

“I’m sorry, Kurokocchi. I forgot about you for some time.” Kise said truthfully and Kuroko looked at him with blank eyes. Kise couldn’t take the look anymore and quickly turned away. There was a small silence before Kuroko broke it.

“I knew it.” He murmured in his breath but Kise could hear it. He suddenly wanted to go back instead of having this basketball match with Kuroko.

“I’m so sorry, Kurokocchi. I’m so sorry.” Kise repeated and Kuroko sighed.

“it is ok, Kise-kun. I have gotten used to it.”

“But you shouldn’t.” Kise insisted. He decided to change the topic. “You’ve made great friends, Kurokocchi. They all seem really nice.”

“They are.” Kuroko said simply but with the small smile on his face, Kise saw just how LA had impacted him. He saw just how much Kuroko changed for the better. He began to hate Akashi for dragging all of them into this mess.

“How did you all meet?” He then asked and Kuroko reminisced.

“I came to this school a few weeks after the new school year started. We have advocacies in the morning so I was assigned the same advocacy as Kagami-kun.”

“Advocacies? What’re those?” Kise asked in confusion.

“It is like when we had those morning talks from the teacher before class started. The small morning assemblies where he took attendance and gave us the plans for the day? It is the same as that but it lasts about 20 minutes for us. We normally do our homework or just rest before actual class begins.” Kuroko explained and Kise nodded in understanding.

“So you were in the same advocacy as Kagami-kun?”

Kuroko nodded. “But of course, no one could see me until I spoke. Then, when I introduced myself as Japanese, the counselor who was with me at the time pointed at Kagami-kun, telling me he was also Japanese. He became my guide for the day and we learned about each other very quickly in a small amount of time. Before I knew it, I was part of his friend group.” Kuroko said and his soft smile grew bigger. Kise’s heart hurt.

He wanted to ask more about his life in the US, but they arrived at the gym, which was just as big as, or even bigger than, Teiko’s and Kaijou’s gym. A girl with sweats and a tightly wrapped ponytail waved at them.

_“You guys are late.”_ The girl commented with her arms crossed once they walked over to her and Felix laughed awkwardly.

_“Sorry, April. We needed to find a replacement for Sebastian. Luckily, we did.”_ Felix explained as he gestured to Kise. April scrutinized him for a second and suddenly gasped.

She then sauntered up to him and pointed to him. _“Wait! You’re friends with the dude who busted my locker, aren’t you? Tell him April said ‘fuck you’, will you? I spent ages moving my stuff to another locker!”_

Kise made the connection quickly that the locker Akashi had dented was hers. He put his hands in front of his and clasped them as he bowed. _“I’m sorry for my friend’s actions! He didn’t mean to do that!”_ He replied and April harrumphed.

_“Ugh, I can never get mad a hot people.”_ She commented after a few seconds or so and walked back to where she was.

_“Hey, are you saying that I’m not hot?”_ Felix said, jokingly offended, and April hit him on the shoulder.

_“Obviously, or else I would never get mad at you.”_ Felix’s face unintentionally saddened and Eddy patted him on the back.

_“Welcome to the unrequited love group, my friend.”_

Felix pushed him back with a blush on his face. _“I_ do not _like her.”_

Ben soon joined in on the conversation. _“Sure, buddy ,just keep telling yourself that.”_

April wasn’t listening and talked once more. _“Now, are we playing or not? Volleyball starts in an hour or so and I need to meet up with my team soon. Just like last time, 20 minutes of just free style basketball with a five minute break?”_ April asked and everyone nodded.

_“How are we going to divide the teams? Like last time?”_ Ben asked and Eddy immediately declined.

_“Thanks, but I’d rather have a chance at winning the game. If we’re going to divide the people, I’m going with Tiger and TK. That or split them apart.”_

Kagami laughed. _“I get the feeling you guys are just scared of our partnership.”_

Ben gave him a pointed look. _“I thought that was kind of obvious.”_

Everyone nodded, even April. _“Dude, sorry to burst your bubble, but you and TK are unstoppable when you’re together. Your synchronized basketball is not even worthy to be varsity, it’s more like watching the NBAs or something.”_ April complimented and Kagami couldn’t help but give them all a big smile.

_“That’s just how awesome me and Tetsu are, right?”_ Kuroko nodded with a smile on his face as well. Kise hated that moment.

_“Let’s have the teams like this: Me, Tiger, and Felix VS the new kid, TK, and Eddy. Everyone ok?”_ Ben suggested but, to everyone’s surprise, Kuroko interfered.

_“I would rather have me and Tiger in the same team.”_

_“Really, TK? After what happened last time? I am not doing that again.”_ Felix recollected but Kuroko shook his head.

_“Kise is a very talented basketball player. It won’t end up like last time, I promise.”_ The others looked at each other uncertainly but finally nodded.

_“Fine, then we’ll have Eddy, you, and Tiger on one team and the rest on the other, ok?”_ With one look, everyone agreed.

“Kurokocchi, why did you suddenly change it? I wanted to play with you again.” Kise whined as he approached Kuroko but he stopped the golden haired student at the last second.

“Kise-kun, let me ask you something. Do you still think everything is about winning?”

Kise, caught off guard by the sudden question, nodded uncertainly. “Isn’t it obvious? We have to win if we want to get ahead in life, right?”

“But do you believe that you can win, even without anyone’s help?”

Kise laughed at the absurdity, making Kuroko’s eyes narrow darkly. “Why would I need anyone’s help? The only time my team helped me was when I battled Aominecchi in the Interhigh, and it was obvious they couldn’t do anything. So, I just played alone.” He put his hands on his hips as he shook his head at the memory. “I still lost but it was Aominecchi, so I let it go. I never could beat him, even in middle school, and we all got stronger anyways. It would have been a miracle if I did beat Touou.”

Kuroko was silent for a moment. “So, you would still play alone if given the chance?”

“Kurokocchi, I’m going to play alone even now. The team I’m with - I think their names were Ben and Felix? It’s obvious I’m way stronger than they, so why should I rely on them?”

Kise looked at Kuroko for a split second and froze at the look Kuroko was giving him. It was not a pleasant look at all. If anything, it looked like Kuroko wanted to murder him.

“K-Kurokocchi?” Kise asked hesitantly but Kuroko said nothing, The teal-haired student, with his fists clenched, merely said a “Is that so?” and left it at that. Kise wondered if he said anything wrong but shook the feeling off. Right now, he had a match to focus on.

Everyone took their places and April stood in the middle of the court with the basketball on her hand. Kagami stepped up confidently but Kuroko pulled his back for a second.  
“Kagami-kun, do not underestimate Kise-kun. He is stronger than you think.”

Kagami looked at him weirdly. “You know I never look down on anyone, what’s wrong with you today, Tetsu? What do you know about him?”

Before Kuroko could say anything, April called him and the duo saw Kise waiting for them with a smug look on his face.

“Hurry up, Kagami-kun! We’re going to be here all day if you keep stalling!” There was an arrogant tone laced in his words and Kagami detected that immediately. This wasn’t the same Kise he saw when he intruded. It was as if there was a personality change in him.

“Oi, are you already certain that you’re going to beat us?”

“Maybe.” Kise answered simply but it was obvious that he was overconfident. Ben and Felix looked very uncomfortable with the situation.

“Be careful, Kise-kun. Do not look down on Kagami-kun. He is very skilled in basketball, just as much as the Generation of Miracles.” Kuroko warned and Kise shook it off.

“That’s hilarious, Kurokocchi. But really, let’s get this over with.”

Kuroko’s eyes narrowed at the comment, which Kise didn’t catch. _“Tiger!”_ He then called out and Kagami jumped at the sudden voice.

_“What’s up?”_ He answered back and everyone except Kise stiffened when they saw Kuroko’s darkening look.

_“Win,”_ was all he said and April cleared her voice awkwardly.

_“Um, so let’s start?”_ Kise and Kagami got ready to jump and April shot the ball up through the air. Kise was pretty confident that he would get it but his eyes widened when Kagami went further up and smacked the ball to his side. Eddy caught it and dribbled a bit before shooting towards Kagami, who was waving to him.

When he did, however, he encountered Kise and and his red eyes narrowed.

“You’re skilled, aren’t you? You’re not an amateur when it comes to basketball.” Kagami deduced quickly and Kise shrugged nonchalantly with a menacing glare. His competitive streak was back.

“I guess you can say that.” Kise said with an arrogant grin on his face.

“You know, Tetsu told me I shouldn’t underestimate you. So, I won’t. I’ll beat you.” He declared before juking Kise and making an impressive dunk.

_“Show off!”_

_“Cocky bastard!”_

_“Your ego’s showing!”_

_“Stop flexing your non-existent muscles!”_

_“And your balls, too!”_

Comments were heard from the background and Kagami merely laughed.

_“You’re all just jealous of my wonderful basketball skills!”_ He called back and Ben took the ball and passed it to Kise. He gave both Kagami and Kuroko a smug smile before taking the ball and, while completely ignoring Felix, who was at the other side of the court waiting for him to pass the ball, merely dunk over him in the same manner as Kagami had but with much more force.

Everyone was quiet for a moment as they processed what had just happened. Kagami stood there, dumbfounded, while Kuroko merely narrowed his eyes once more.

“This is what I wanted to talk to you about, Kagami-kun.”

“He just - He - He just did the same thing I did, didn’t he?” Kagami stuttered.

Kuroko nodded seriously. “That is Kise-kun’s specialty. The Generation of Miracles are five basketball prodigies who have special abilities with them. For Kise-kun, he can mimic anything he sees perfectly, even if he has only seen it once. He, like the rest, look down on any opponent. We need to win, Kagami-kun.” Kuroko explained and Kagami’s eyes flared with determination.

He ruffled Kuroko’s hair and called over Eddy, who, like other spectators, was still looking at Kise with a shocked look.

“I get you loud and clear! We just have to kick this arrogant dickhead off his pedestal, right? With you and me on the same team, we’ll be sure to win!” And with the two duo of shadow and light both ready to fight, the match began once more.

* * *

Kagami soon realized why Kuroko had such a dark look on his face when Kise became something he was not. Throughout the match, Kise only seemed to be working by himself, completely ignoring his teammates. When the first quarter, which was only 10 minutes, ended, The scoreboard showed Kise’s team winning by 8 points. Kagami growled as he took a sip of his own water. Kuroko still wasn’t ready to start cooperating with him, and though he respected that, he still wanted to kick Kise’s ass.

Felix and Ben walked up to Kuroko. Kise didn’t mind as he just kept drinking water.

_“Dude, what is up that kid? He’s doing everything by himself.”_ Ben complained while Felix nodded from behind. Kuroko sighed.

_“I’m sorry. I believed that Kise had changed when I saw him again. Now I realize just how wrong I was. He was like this in middle school, too. They all were.”_

_“They? Are you talking about the rest of the weird kids?”_ Felix asked and Kuroko nodded.

_“They are very good at playing basketball, so much that they were dubbed the Generation of Miracles because of their skills. But, they got arrogant and believed that no one could beat them.”_ Kuroko explained and Ben huffed.

_“That doesn’t mean you should play basketball alone! It’s called team play for a reason!”_ Ben exploded and Eddy had to calm him down. April came over to them as well.

_“TK, when are you going to kick his ass?”_ She asked with her arms crossed and Kuroko raised his eyebrow.

_“I thought referees couldn’t take sides.”_

_“I wasn’t going to, but as a member who plays a cooperation sport, this is just annoying the crap out of me. It’s basketball, not a one man show! Put him in his place with your freaky combination thing!”_ April exasperated and Kuroko saw the looks on everyone face.

Then, he stood up and walked over to Kagami. Kise followed the motion with a curious look on his face.

_“Hey, what’s up?”_ He asked and Kuroko merely curled his fingers into a fist. Kagami gave him a big smile before punching it with his own.

“You ready?” The red-head asked and Kuroko nodded.

“I am.”

April then blew her whistle and the five minute break was over. Ben and Felix went over to Kise and asked him to give them the ball some time. Kise merely raised his eyebrow and shook his head.

_“I can beat them on my own.”_ He commented before walking away. Felix had a very difficult time preventing Ben from murdering the blond.

April gave Eddy, who was at the edge of the court, the ball and he passed it to Kagami, who was immediately stopped by Kise. His red eyes flared as Kise blocked his every move.

“You’re a complete dickhead, you know that? Basketball isn’t a one man play.”

Kise merely smirked. “Say that when you beat me. Haven’t you seen the score?”

Kagami growled and his eye twitched. “You fucker.”

_“Tiger, calm down!”_ Eddy called out and Kagami snapped out of his anger and saw a glimpse of teal hair. He smiled at Kise before passing the ball to an empty space. Kise was just about to comment on his stupidity when the ball suddenly launched itself to where Eddy was, which was below the net, and Kagami’s team scored two points.

Ben started laughing. _“There it is. The freaky ghost move. Misdirection or whatever TK called it.”_ Felix couldn’t help but smile at Kise’s dumbfounded face.

Kagami ran over to Kuroko and the two high-fived each other.

_“Now that’s what I’m talking about!”_ Kagami hooted and Kuroko readjusted his old sweatband. He then looked over to Kise with an unreadable look.

“I haven’t seen that move in long time. Kurokocchi…” Kise growled.

“The match is only beginning to start, Kise-kun. We will win.” Kuroko said.

And slowly, as if by magic, the score changed in favor of Kuroko’s team. No matter how much Kise tried to catch up, he could never predict where Kuroko was at. No wonder Kuroko didn’t want to use his misdirection in the beginning. This was only a 20 minute match with no substitution. Had he used it since the beginning, the effectiveness would have only lessened by the second quarter. It didn’t help that Kagami and Eddy were very apt in basketball as well.

That, however, didn’t faze Kise in the least. They were still no match for a Generation of Miracle like him. They were good but they weren’t prodigies. 

His golden eyes gleamed and his skills got more profound and serious. He copied everything Kagami and Eddy did and the score was neck and neck. Felix and Ben were close to ripping Kise apart and soon asked for a time out. April happily gave it to them. Kids huffed at them but said nothing. He was slowly beginning to get tired, especially after copying some of Kagami’s and Eddy’s moves, which definitely felt more advanced.

_“TK, I swear you better beat that asshole!”_ Ben shouted in annoyance once they got off the court. Felix just nodded but anyone could see that he was pissed as well. And Felix almost never got pissed.

_“Calm down, dude.”_ Eddy tried to say but Ben wasn’t listening.

_“I hate these kinds of people, you know? Those people who think they can just stomp on other people because he thinks he’s all that? Gah, I hate it! I hate it so much!”_

Kagami then stood from the bench and Ben immediately quieted at the solemn look Kagami had on his face. Then, when everyone else expected the worst coming, he gave them all a big smile.

_“Well, at least we know how to beat him!”_

Everyone gave him a confused look. _“You know?”_ April asked and Kagami nodded.

_“Tetsu, you know too, right? You’ve seen it before.”_

Kuroko nodded. _“As a person who has played with Kise before, he has one weakness. We can use that to our advantage. And it’s a good thing, too. My misdirection is losing its effectiveness but we only have two minutes left. Tiger, you can do it, right?”_

Kagami grinned. _“Obviously.”_

Everyone else looked confused out of their minds. _“Um, mind filling us in?”_ Felix asked.

_“That bastard is good a copying, right?”_ The others nodded. _“We’ll just have to do something that he can’t copy at all!”_ Kagami explained. He looked at the scoreboard and saw that they team was only a few points ahead of Kise’s. Then he smiled at the luck they had.

_“We need to use Tetsu to our fullest. His technique is the one thing the dickhead can’t copy at all. He doesn’t have the qualities for it. We’ll use that and when the time comes, I’ll make the finishing blow. The asshole needs to know what losing feels like once and for all.”_

April then blew her whistle and with only two minutes remaining, Kagami and Kuroko focused completely on their synchronization, and even Kise was surprised at the skillful cooperation the two had. It could have even matched Aomine’s and Kuroko’s when they were in middle school.

Kise had to admit, he was getting desperate. He was only a few points behind but with the timer going down, he was close to losing. The only time he lost was with Aomine, but that was an exception. He could never beat the ace in the first place, what made him think he could beat him at Interhigh?

This, however, was different. He was playing against Kuroko, a player that needed support to be useful. He was never going to be like them.

At the last second, Kise made an impressive dunk and he was sure he was going to win now, with only about 10 seconds remaining on the clock, but Eddy flung the basketball to where Kuroko was, and Kise’s eyes widened when he pushed the ball to accelerate.

“Ignite pass?” Kise murmured under his breath. The only people who could catch that were the five Generation of Miracles. There was no way anyone here would able to do it. They weren’t skilled enough.

But his perception shattered into pieces as Kagami caught it easily and went for the dunk. Kise ran over to him as fast as he could and jumped to block it the same time Kagami jumped to dunk. 

Kise was confident he could block and secure his victory, but then, his confidence faded when he saw himself falling down and Kagami going up even further, even though he and Kagami had jumped at the same time. His eyes widened in complete shock.

“You can never copy a Buzzer Beater!” Kagami yelled as he dunked the ball over him just before the timer buzzed, signaling the end of the match.

April turned over the numbers to show 58-56 in favor of Kuroko and Kagami’s team. She then announced their team as the winner and everyone except Kise cheered.They all gathered around the duo, and while leaving Kise alone, they all cheered.

_“Fuck yeah, that was awesome! Tiger, you’ve earned my respect once again!”_ Eddy shouted in glee and Ben patted him on the shoulder excitedly.

_“They don’t call you the Wild Tiger for nothing, Tiger! That buzzer beater was hella good! One of the best I’ve seen yet!”_ Ben commented and Kagami laughed while ruffling Kuroko’s hair.

_“Hey, if it weren’t this little guy, I never would’ve been able to pull it off!”_

_“Who are you calling little?”_ Kuroko said in annoyance but still was able to smile as well.

Kise, now alone in the court, looked at the scoreboard in disbelief. Then, his senses came back to him as he heard laughter and saw Kuroko being surrounded by his friends, all ruffling his hair and patting him on the back.

Before he knew it, he began to cry. 

April was the one who saw it first, who felt a bit bad for leaving Kise alone. She bit her lip and nudged Felix on the shoulder. His face fell as soon as he saw Kise.

_“Guys.”_ He said in a whisper and the others grew silent when they saw Kise crying. No one knew what to do as they all had mixed feelings about the blond, but then, Kuroko got out of their friend circle and walked up to Kise.

Kise’s head shot up when he felt something patting him on the back.

“K-Kurokocchi?” He whispered and Kuroko now saw him as a pitiful puppy.

“Kise-kun, do not cry. It is not the end of the world if you lose a match.”

“I - I don’t know what went wrong. I was so sure I was stronger than all of you.” Kise stuttered as he tried to wipe away his tears. Kuroko didn’t feel angry anymore.

Before he could say the answer, Kagami came over and smacked Kise on the back. He lost his balance and jumped a bit forward before regaining it.

“Ow, what was that for?” Kise said and Kagami crossed his arms.

“What went wrong was that you weren’t relying on your teammates and you just played by yourself. I told you before, didn’t I? Basketball is _not_ a one man sport. It never will be.”

And it was then that Kise finally understood Kuroko. He finally understood why Kuroko left, why Kuroko didn’t want to see them here, why Kuroko was happy in the States with his friends. Kise couldn’t help but cry more.

“I’m so sorry, Kurokocchi. I’m so sorry. I didn’t know. I didn’t know.” He blubbered and Kuroko patted him on the back more.

“It is alright, Kise-kun. You’ve learned your lesson. I’m happy with just that.” And everyone on the court smiled softly when Kise hugged Kuroko and Kuroko hugged him back.


	6. Chapter 6

Midorima felt the change from Kise the moment he got back to the summer house. He looked happier, was glowing even, and whatever movement he had, it always looked like he was floating. When Midorima saw that, he could’t help but admit that he hated it. Everyone here was having the worst time they’ve ever had and Kise had the nerve to smile? Midorima didn’t like it; he detested it even.

He knew something was wrong when Kise wasn’t back in the summer house the moment Akashi dismissed them. Everybody else had gone home with Akashi’s driver, even Murasakibara, who wanted to stay and buy more food from the cafeteria, but Kise hadn’t been there. He wasn’t home until late afternoon, when Aomine was back from an intense basketball play on his own. He was frustrated, Midorima knew, because it had been such a long time since he saw Aomine play alone in the basketball courtbehind Akashi’s house so fiercely.

He decided to confront Kise when dinner was finished. Akashi wasn’t there, taking and receiving calls from people Midorima had no interest in, Murasakibara was still asking for seconds (or sixes, Midorima guessed), and Aomine had already marked his spot on the sofa, watching TV and grumbling in annoyance when he found nothing but English.

“Kise.” Midorima called out and Kise, who was still floating, turned around and Midorima felt a gush of air flowing through Kise’s hair. He clicked his tongue in annoyance when Kise looked even happier than before. Curiosity peaked as well; he always knew Kise was easy to figure out but to have a personality change in such a short time was a mystery to him. Everyone here was asking for murder, so what happened to make Kise so happy?

“What’s up, Midorimacchi? Is something the matter?” He asked in an easy-going voice.

Midorima glared. “I’m under the impression that instead of going back home, you stayed in school. I’m guessing you met Kuroko?”

Kise nodded, his smile growing impossibly big. “Yup, sure did.” He didn’t elaborate on it more, making Midorima even more irritated than before.

He pushed his glasses up as he tried to hide his bubbling anger. “I’m also guessing something happened during that event.”

Kise’s smile faded as confusion replaced his facial features. “Yeah. Midorimacchi, where are you going with this?” He asked with scrunched up eyebrows.

Midorima sighed angrily. “I’m asking you what happened.” He finally said, feeling embarrassed that he showed such an unsightly image of himself soon after.

“Eh?” Kise blinked for a second. He then scratched the side of his head and the smile he had had throughout the entire time came back again. “I had a match with Kurokocchi.”

Midorima said nothing for a second because he was still processing the words Kise had said. He had been there when Kuroko had confessed that he had hated basketball, to the point where he had almost committed something irreversible on himself. He had heard all the pain and suffering Kuroko had had because of them. He believed that Kuroko had quit, or at least refused to play so intensely.

He didn’t want to admit it, but he hated the fact that the Generation of Miracles, Kuroko’s teammates and friends, didn’t help him at all, but it was his _other friends_ who helped him throughout it all. 

He felt jealousy and anger, both towards Kuroko’s LA friends and Kise. He glared at the blond, who noticed the change in Midorima’s manner and took a step forward to see what was wrong. The television in the other room turned off, there were no more clacking sounds of glass plates stacked up together, and the angered arguments turned into silent murmurs.

“Midorimacchi?” Kise asked. He tried to look at Midorima’s face that was currently covered with emerald bangs. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Midorima said gruffly. Even he didn’t know what was wrong, what he was feeling, why he was so goddamn angry. “Nothing’s wrong.”

“Hey, what’s going on in there?” Aomine called out from the TV room.

“Nothing.” Midorima repeated once more and walked away from Kise and his stupid, goddamn smile to his room. He closed it politely to lessen any suspicion but there was nothing more he waned to do but to slam it shut, hoping that the door would break and a visible crack would be shown.

He sat down on his bed, took off his glasses, and sighed as he rubbed his eyes. He was getting too irritated lately. He wondered if it was because of the environment he was in. He never wanted to come here, he still didn’t know why he had agreed in the first place. It wasn’t like Akashi ruled his entire life, so why did he let the red-haired emperor push him around like a rag doll? Wasn’t he human? Didn’t he have morals and rights? An opinion?

Akashi’s fault. It was Akashi’s fault.

Midorima considered himself a calm, collected person. In most times, unless the person was actively trying to mock him, mainly Takao, although he got used to the joking, Midorima never once raised his voice nor screamed bloody murder. He was calculative, meticulous, and looking for other, more simple ways to solve the problem.

And yet here he was, unable to do any of that. His head was clouded, his mind was in disarray, and it was taking all his willpower not to go to Akashi and punch him until Midorima knocked some sense into him. Midorima wanted to tell him that he wanted to go home.

Akashi’s fault. It was Akashi’s fault.

But deep inside, Midorima knew that it wasn’t only the environment, not only Akashi’s doing that had him so irritated.

Midorima knew that he wasn’t close to Kuroko as Aomine or Kise. He even agreed that he didn’t get along with Kuroko as much as the others in general. He wanted to blame the two’s horoscopes and the incompatibility between Aquarius and Cancer. Another part of himself wanted to blame Kuroko’s surrounding friends who were too loud and messy for his taste.

But he could only blame himself for not helping Kuroko when the phantom man had needed it. They were both in the library committee, even after they all started going awry, when their friendship was slowly but surely falling apart. Kuroko was even more a shadow, he had remembered, and even though Midorima and Kuroko had been rearranging books side by side, Kuroko seemed to fade away on purpose and Midorima had let him. He had let Kuroko fall into depression when he could clearly see the demise.

Or, he wondered, could he? By then, could he even have taken notice of the phantom man?

Midorima didn't know why he felt so angry. He wasn’t this kind of person, he wasn’t supposed to be so hotheaded. And not only that, he and Kuroko weren’t even the best of friends. So why was he so angered by the fact that Kuroko was happy here, playing basketball in LA with all his other friends? Why wasn’t he depressed anymore?

And then it hit the green-haired student hard. Like a brick colliding at the back of his head and knocking him flat. He hadn’t been there when his friend nonetheless was going through the worst time of his life. And here he was now, happy and shining with his other friends.

Other friends. He and the others were replaced with better people. Kuroko had given up on them and instead sought refuge in a group that was obviously more capable than they were. And that infuriated Midorima, the fact that he was replaced by people who weren’t even worthy enough, who weren’t even skilled enough.

He hated feeling inferior but being here and seeing the imaginary scenario of Kuroko smiling while passing the ball to someone other than one of the Generation of Miracles made him feel exactly like that. 

He hated feeling so _small_.

* * *

Midorima entered the school for a second time with the help of Akashi’s driver. He didn’t really want to use Kamijou-san with his personal issues, but he really didn’t want to enter the bus again where he would see Kuroko interacting with those worthless people, Kagami and Eddy. He told Akashi he needed the driver and Akashi, though raising an eyebrow in questioning, allowed it.

Kise took the bus, just like the last two days. He was the only one who went to the school while the others stayed at the summer house. The blond didn’t even care that he had to wake up early to catch the bus; he always woke earlier than the alarm. He didn’t care, even when Aomine was there, unable to sleep, and giving him such a glare that if looks could kill, Kise would’ve already been five feet under the ground.

Now, Midorima was standing in front of the school entrance, waiting for the morning bell to ring and forcing all the students to go to class. Once he entered, he saw two people lingering in the hallways, talking to each other in their seats and looking at him curiously.

He looked at them back. “ _Aren’t you supposed to be in class?”_ He asked in perfect, if not monotone, English and the two people, a woman and man, looked at each other with incredulous eyes before laughing.

_“Yeah, because we’re_ obviously _going to class at the last day of school. It’s a short day anyways, with classes only 45 minutes long. Why the hell would we go?”_ The man with the tips of his hair dyed green said with a smirk. The woman next to him snickered.

Midorima hid his anger at the blatant rudeness they were exhibiting. _“Then why are you even at school if you’re not even going to go to class?”_

_“Parents.”_ The woman with blond hair wrapped in a loose bun said with a glare, but then sighed as she lifted her shoulders. _“But I guess I needed to come here anyways. When school ends, we’re all going to the beach.”_ She punched the man and he smiled. He then looked at Midorima with curious eyes, as if he were trying to process a distant memory.

_“Hey, do I know you from anywhere?”_ He asked and Midorima stiffened. Images of his first time in the school flashed before his mind.

He shook his head. _“No, I don’t think you do.”_

But there was already recognition in the man’s eyes. The woman next to him also had the same idea. _“You’re one of the dudes who wrecked a locker, right? The girl who’s in volleyball. Where’s the psychopath?”_ The man asked, looking behind Midorima, obviously trying to find the ‘psychopath’.

Midorima clicked his tongue in annoyance. _“What are you talking about?”_

_“You know, the red-haired psychopath. He’s made quite a name for himself, you know?”_

“Akashi?” Midorima whispered to himself in shock. Was that what the people here called him? A psychopath?

_“Is that his name? Akashi?”_ The woman said, emphasizing the ‘k’ unnecessarily. _“Damn, I wanted to see the psycho one more time before school ended. Like, what was up with that anyways? You guys made a mess the first day you come here and then stopped coming entirely? You could’ve at least burned the school down while you were at it, make vacation come earlier.”_

_“It was only two days we didn’t come.”_ Midorima said stiffly. He didn’t even both addressing the other comment the woman said. 

_“You could’ve at least given an apology to the teachers and the girl whose locker you busted. Not that I like the teachers or anything, but they looked pretty spooked.”_ The woman accused and the man slapped his knee.

_“Alvarez couldn’t even look at the color purple without screaming.”_ He laughed.

_“That’s not something to laugh about.”_ Midorima said, slightly horrified that they had scared an old lady that much. He made a mental note to go to the teacher and apologize formally for causing such a ruckus.

_“That’s what you say. You have no idea how much of a bitch she is.”_ The man responded and Midorima looked at the man in front of him with wide eyes. Did he just call a teacher a bitch?

_“Whatever. I guess it doesn’t matter what happens since the psycho isn’t even here today.”_ The man shrugged.

_“Doesn’t the blond one stay here, though?”_ The woman asked, trying to remember the Japanese blond model.

The man clapped his hands. _“Oh, yeah! He always waits in the first floor lounge until school finishes, doesn’t he? Or he goes to the lockers… Tiger’s locker, right?”_

_“Oh, yeah, Tiger’s.”_ The woman said dreamily and the man’s eyes scrunched before snapping his fingers in front of her. She jumped slightly. _“Hey, what was that for?”_

_“Don’t dream about other guys when your boyfriend’s right here.”_ The man said with a pout and the woman laughed at the sight. It was making Midorima uncomfortable with the public display of affection.

_“Aw, don’t get so jealous, baby. Every girl_ and _guy wants to get with Tiger’s body at least once in their high school lives.”_

The man actually looked shocked. Midorima equally so. _“No way.”_

The woman gave him a mischievous smirk. _“Way. Have you never seen his body? How does a high school student even have that? It’s insane.”_

_“I’ve seen his body, and I can say I have a more smoking one than he does.”_ The man tried to defend but he was putting up a very weak front.

The woman patted him on the shoulder pitifully. _“Sure you do, baby. Sure you do.”_

Midorima cleared his throat so that the two people could realize he was still standing in front of them. They snapped back their heads to the foreigner and waited for him to continue.

_“So, today is the last day?”_ He asked, still unable to shake off the uncomfortable feeling of listening to two people talking about someone’s body. He felt like he was intruding or something.

_“Yeah, before summer vacation, which I am so ready for.”_ The woman said and sighed dreamily. _“Do you think Tiger’s going to the beach, too? That’s, like, the only time he takes off his shirt, you know?”_

The man gave her a grumpy look. _“I heard from Tat that he and some of his friends are going to be playing basketball from the entire summer.”_

_“Is Tat back?”_ The woman said with glee. _“Where did he even go for the past few weeks?”_

_“Trip remember? I think he had to go back to Japan to figure something out with his parents. He came back yesterday.”_

_“Why come back to LA when it’s literally summer vacation? I would’ve just stayed there until school was back in session.”_

The man shrugged. _“Said he wanted to get all the work he missed and work on it for the summer.”_

_“Wow, that’s dedication right there. I never would have done that.”_

Midorima couldn’t help it. He snorted at the comment. It was more than obvious that the man would most likely not do any of his summer homework until the last day before school started once more. The two looked at him with judging eyes and Midorima immediately composed himself. _“Sorry for interrupting, but I have one more question.”_

_“Which would be?”_ The man with an eyebrow raised.

_“When does the school end?”_

_“12:15. We have two hours left.”_ At that moment, the bell rang, the two people Midorima were talking to stood up and left, giving Midorima one more look, and the hallways were immediately crowded with students rushing to their next class.

Midorima was just going to sit on one of the red chairs that thaw had sat on and wait until the hallways cleared out but then he saw a flash of red. His eyes followed the tall Japanese student laugh with the African-American person whom he had seen in the bus last time. They seemed to be talking about something extremely funny because both students were smiling widely with laughs every few seconds. Midorima searched for teal blue unconsciously. When he didn’t find him, he sighed angrily and sat down onto the chairs.

Then, _“Hey, aren’t you one of the dudes who came here a few days ago?”_ A brown-eyed man who was a lot shorter than he was said as he stood in front of Midorima. He tried to remember if he had ever seen this man before but his memory failed him. He didn’t look familiar to him at all.

_“I don’t know who you’re talking about.”_ Midorima said coldly. There were still students who were rushing to get to class. The bell hadn’t rung.

_“You know TK, right?”_ The student asked. Midorima’s eyes widened slightly as he looked straight at the student. In the summer light, his brown hair looked hazel.

_“His name is Kuroko Tetsuya.”_ Midorima growled with his fists clenched. With a nickname like that, it truly felt like Kuroko was no longer one of them.

The man just shook his head. _“Whatever. Point is, the psycho you were with has completely changed him. He was always reserved and we respected that but he’s become even more of a recluse than before. Bring the psycho back and make him fix this.”_ He said with anger lacing his tone, and Midorima’s eyes narrowed. The bell finally rang. There was no one left except for him and the brown haired man.

_“We did nothing wrong, nor did Akashi. Who even are you?”_

The man also glared. He put his binder on the seat next to Midorima and crossed his arms. _“Ben. Ben Jones. And I don’t believe you for a second. It was because of you new guys that TK’s been so off. He’s barely speaking anymore and not even Tiger can do anything, and they’re like two peas in a pod!”_ Midorima’s eyes narrowed even further. How dare he? _“Take responsibility for it.”_ Ben finished but faltered slightly in his confidence stance when Midorima stood up from his seat. Ben couldn’t believe it; he must have been even taller than Kagami himself, and Kagami was the tallest person he knew.

_“Who is giving you the right to boss me around?”_ Midorima gazed downwards at the brown haired boy. Standing so closely to a person at least two heads taller than he, Ben couldn’t help but feel so little. Still, he didn’t give up the fight as he glared upwards into the Japanese’s strange green eyes.

_“I’m not bossing you around. I’m just saying that people who make a havoc of things should take responsibility for it. Haven’t you ever heard of righting the wrong?”_

Midorima had, but he wasn’t going to admit it. _“So, what? Did you really think you would have been able to order me around? Someone like you?”_

_“What you mean ‘someone like me’?”_ Ben’s nose flared. His fists clenched as he tried to control his anger, just as Felix had told me. Ben always did have an anger problem, and had even gone to anger management classes in free will. He knew he had a problem with controlling his emotions; it was taking all his willpower not to lash out.

Had Felix or Kagami been here, they surely would’ve been proud.

And yet, even Ben could tell that he was losing it. This person right in front of him was testing him, both him and his anger. He was purposely trying to lower Ben’s self-esteem, and mocking him all the while.

_“Didn’t I make myself clear enough?”_ What was Midorima saying? When had he become such a monster? _“I meant someone as worthless as you.”_ No, this wasn’t him. He was sounding like _Akashi._

Ben, deep down, unconsciously, apologized to his teachers, his mentors, and his friends. He really couldn’t do it, could he? He really couldn’t take self-control. The word ‘worthless’ rung through the brown haired student and before he knew it, he was screaming.

_“You fucking asshole! You wanna fucking go? I’ll fucking rip you to pieces, you piece of shit!”_ With every curse word Ben flew out, Midorima was beginning to see how much of a monster he was. But his pride forced him to stop looking and to ignore it, and his pride whispered to strike the first blow and get it over with.

His hand raised upwards in an obvious attempt to strike the shorter boy down, but the upcoming fight never arrived.

“Midorimacchi?” A voice called out from afar and both people turned their heads to see a shocked, frozen blond at the end of the hallway. Some teachers had their head out to see what all the noise was about and they all glared at Kise, who wasn’t paying attention.

He started forward soon after, and apologized to all the teachers sticking their heads out as he walked closer to where Midorima and Ben were.

“Kise, what are you doing here?” Midorima asked, slightly surprised as well. Then he remembered that Kise had come here for the past few days. Of course, he would be inside the school, and of course the ruckus they had just made would attract the blond’s attention to here.

“I was just going to the lockers when I heard Ben shouting.” Kise immediately turned his attention to the American student, who was still beet red from all the blood rushing to his face. Kise looked at him with concerned eyes. _“What happened? Are you ok?”_ Midorima noted how Kise’s English had improved significantly. It was almost as fluent as his.

Ben wasn’t listening. _“You were just going to punch me, weren’t you, you fucking bastard? I saw your hand. I know a fight when I see one.”_

Kise’s eyes widened. “MIdorimacchi?” He asked. Midorima flinched subtly, just a slight flex in his shoulders. Kise had merely called out his name, and yet, the amount of guilt and humiliation that came with it affected Midorima greatly.

“Kise, leave.” Midorima said, unable to think of anything else. He wasn’t thinking at all, actually. He hadn’t been since they came here.

Akashi’s fault. It was Akashi’s fault.

Kise squeezed himself between the two infuriated students. The dark look Midorima was giving him sent shivers down the model’s spine. He decided to deal with his former teammate later. He saw the look on Ben’s face and knew his new friend was a bigger priority.

* * *

Yesterday, Felix had given Kise a bit of background.

_“He’s had anger issues since he was a child. Could never keep himself in check, could never hold it in like everyone else. He would always explode at the smallest thing and he knew that. He knew it so well that he even went to anger management class by himself. His parents didn’t want him to, but he did anyways because he wanted to fix his problem.”_

Kise was shocked at the news. _“So that’s why he looked so angry when we played that time.”_ He gave the Swede a sheepish look.

He merely shrugged it off. _“We’re over it, it’s fine. But, yeah. Ben and I are childhood friends, so I know a lot about him. He’s gotten better, he really has. He doesn’t lash out as much as he used to, doesn’t have as many pet peeves as much as he did when he was a child, and he’s truly doing his best to control his anger.”_

Kise had felt a terrible feeling pooling his gut. _“But?”_

Felix then sighed. _“He has triggers.”_

_“Triggers?”_

_“They’re like pet peeves, but unlike pet peeves, which he can control most often times than not, he could never win against his triggers. He just loses control and becomes this wild animal thirsting for blood.”_

Kise had his eyes wide in shock. _“Is it really that bad?”_

_“Sometimes it is. It gets really worrisome when he has a trigger and I’m not around. I’m pretty much the only person that can calm him down when he loses it. If I’m not there and something triggers his anger to the full extent, we don’t know who might die.”_

_“He can’t really… Kill someone, can he?”_ Kise asked in a trembling voice.

Once again, Felix merely shrugged. _“Last time he had a trigger and I wasn’t there, he ended breaking the poor kid’s leg and arm. He just loses his mind, I told you. He doesn’t think because he can’t. It’s like his anger controls every aspect of his body.”_

_“So, what do you normally do to calm him down?”_

Felix hesitated then, and it looked like he was pondering whether to tell Kise or not. The blond could understand, though. They had just met literally a day ago, and it was not on the best terms as well.

Then, just when Kise had believed that he would be left in dark, Felix spoke. _“Well, I guess it wouldn’t be fair. Everyone else knows, so you should to.”_ Kise was touched by those words. Though indirect, Felix had just said that the group considered the blond model as a friend. An actual friend.

Felix then sighed once more. He seemed to do that a lot, Kise noticed. _“You have to remind him of his conscious, pretty much.”_ At Kise’s blank stare, Felix clarified. _“He doesn’t think, remember? He goes on instinct, like an animal or beast. You have to remind him that his anger doesn’t control him.”_

_“And how do I do that?”_

Felix then smiled sincerely. That may have been the first time Kise saw such a look on the blond Swede in front of him. _“Remind him of his happy place.”_

* * *

And so, here Kise was, putting his hands on Ben’s shoulders and looking at him straight in the eye. He saw that Ben’s eyes were distorted and a bit dilated, a clear sign of him not thinking straight at all.

When there was contact on his body, Ben immediately tried to retaliate but Kise’s grip was too strong on him. He stayed in place as golden eyes stared at him intensely. Kise looked extremely serious, a look Midorima hadn’t seen in a long time.

Then, he grinned big, just like in those two days and in middle school, and Ben’s body relaxed slightly _“Soon enough, we’ll all be in the beach, hanging out with everyone until the sun sets, you know? We’ll be playing beach volleyball, maybe even sand basketball, learn how to surf with Tiger’s help, check out some good looking people, and drinking non-alcohol margaritas until the sun’s gone and everyone’s too tired to move. We’ll all be together, just friends, and we’re going to have the time of our lives.”_

Ben’s body visibly slumped and his head fell. Kise still had his grip on his shoulders and he felt Ben trembling subtly. Kise was sure Midorima couldn’t see.

_“Friends?”_ Ben whispered and Kise nodded sincerely. Once, twice, even three times, just to let Ben Jones know that he had friends who deeply cared about him, not like when he was still in elementary school and he was isolated by his peers for his issues.

* * *

_“He’s traumatized as well, you know?”_ Felix added once he explained Ben’s happy place. Kise looked at him with confused eyes.

_“What happened?”_

_“He was rejected by everyone in elementary and middle school. No one could understand back then that Ben had a mental problem and they made him an outcast because of it. He never had any friends except me, and I couldn’t be there for him 24/7. We were in different classes and every time I went to his classroom to eat together, he would, without doubt, be surrounded by his classmates and be pelted with whatever the kids had on their hands, whether it be rumpled papers or even their own lunch.”_

Kise saw the pain in Felix’s eyes. He patted the Swede and both said nothing for a while. Then, Felix began to speak again. _“He values friendship so much, Ryo. So much that he once told me that if I were to ever leave him, he would…”_ The pause was enough, even though Felix added something in the end. _“I’d rather not say.”_

* * *

Kise had got it. Even now, as Ben kept repeating with a smile on his face the word ‘friends’, Kise got it. The excruciating pain of loneliness, the feeling of no one loving you, caring for you. Kise got it; not that he got it from personal experience (he was always surrounded by so many people) but through sympathy, through experience with someone close to him who had gone through the same thing.

_“Come on, Ben. It’s almost lunch time. Let’s wait for everyone at the lockers.”_ Kise suggested and Ben nodded weakly, still smiling. Kise shot Midorima a look that said ‘don’t go anywhere’ and because Midorima had witnessed such an unbelievable scene, he just sat back down. Kise got that as him agreeing, and he ushered Ben to the lockers.

The bell rang, students flew out of the classrooms and to their respective lunch areas, and Midorima soon found lock of red hair popping out of a classroom again. He was still with the African-American, still smiling, still laughing, heading to the lockers were Kise and Ben were.

Midorima took this precious time blocking everything from his mind before Kise came to reassess what had just happened. Had he just provoked a mentally ill person? Had he really stooped so low as to intentionally mock the person and even get the motivation to start the fight? When had he become so… unlike himself? When did he become this monster?

Akashi’s fault. It was Akashi’s fault.

Midorima decided not to dwell on it. It wasn't his fault. It wasn’t.

Kise came back quickly and with one look from those golden eyes, Midorima followed the model out the school building and towards the back entrance of the school, where it was definitely quieter with less students roaming the area.

Kise stopped and turned around, eyes unreadable but stance rigid. Midorima pretended not to notice and the two were surrounded by silence for a few moments.

Midorima spoke first. “You brought me out here. Now what?” He was cold, as expected, but his tone was different from his usual one. Midorima couldn’t put his finger on it.

Kise didn’t know where to begin. He decided to go with the obvious. “What is wrong with you, Midorimacchi? You’re not the person to just up and provoke someone like that!”

Midorima harrumphed as he turned is head away from Kise’s judgmental look. “He was the one that started it. I merely took precautions and picked the best possible outcome. He was the one who took it the wrong way.”

“Really? Because it doesn’t seem that way.” Kise ran his hand through his head. “You couldn’t have known about Ben’s condition, and I get that. Fine, it was an honest mistake. But Midorimacchi, I just don’t understand what is wrong with you lately. You’re asking weird questions, coming to this school when it was obvious you hated everything about it, and now you’re picking fights with people you don’t even know? When have _you_ ever picked a fight?”

What Kise was saying was all true. Yet his pride whispered to Midorima to still conceal it, ignore it, and pretend the guilt was never there. He glared as hard as he could. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. If we’re going to talk about stupid ideas, then I’d rather not hear it. If that is all, I’m leaving.”

Midorima began to walk away, extremely sure that if he stayed any longer, he would have to face something he really didn’t want to face. He would leave quickly, talk to Kuroko briefly, just like he planned on doing, and go back to the summer house where he wouldn’t see any foreign people until the day of the match, which was still in over a week.

But then, his steps stopped abruptly, the crackling noises of the stepped on grass subsiding instantaneously. His eyes grew wide as he slowly turned around and saw Kise’s regretful face. He looked regretful, but both knew Kise was relieved to have said it.

But he didn’t believe his ears. He asked again. “What did you just say?”

The regretful smile on Kise’s face never left his features as he repeated the statement again; the statement that made every fiber in Midorima’s body scream a simple ‘no’.

“You’ve become just like Akashicchi.”

* * *

“A match. I request a match.” Kagami turned around as he felt something grip his shoulder. Midorima Shintarou, one of the Generation of Miracles with peculiar hair and eyes, was glaring intensely at him, the grip becoming stronger.

Kagami wasn’t one to back down from the glare. “Hah, what are you suddenly going on about? Why are you even here?” He asked, clearly not happy to see him. It had only been two days since the five Japanese students came to LA, and it had already taken a toll on his best friend. Even now, in the corner of his eye, he saw Kuroko visibly shaken.

Even though they and Kise had come to terms with each other after Kuroko had finally shown him what the real meaning of basketball was, it didn’t do anything to Kuroko’s mental state. Kagami was seeing the Kuroko from when they had first met, reclusive, barely talking, and disappearing purposely to avoid any conversation. Kuroko was talking less and less, and Kagami was pissed because it had taken forever to get the phantom man to open up. And now, these foreigners were ruining all of his and everyone else’s hard work.

It didn’t help that this person standing right in front of him, towering over him (as if that were possible), had also caused Ben a great deal of pain. Felix had all informed the group what Ben had, and Kagami could never forgive someone who would intentionally trigger that.

“A match.” Midorima repeated and by this time, everyone who was with them at the lockers were looking at them curiously, and some with guard. Felix had heard from Kise at lunch; he immediately moved his boy in front of Ben to cover the green-haired man from his friend’s gaze. Thankfully, Ben wasn’t paying attention.

“Why the hell would I agree to a match with you? After all you’ve done?” Kagami rejected with a cold voice and tried to shake off Midorima’s grip but it just got stronger. Midorima wasn’t relenting, that much Kagami could see.

“I request a match.”

“I’m telling you I don’t want to. School just finished, and we’re going to celebrate by going to the beach. Now, let go, asshole.”

“Kagami-kun.” Kagami jumped and Midorima’s eyes narrowed to where the voice was. He soon found Kuroko, when in the beginning, he couldn’t.

“Don’t worry, Tetsu. Let me just handle this bastard and we’ll go.” Kagami reassured but Kuroko was shaking his head.

“A match will be of no harm.” Kuroko said surprisingly and even Midorima was a bit shocked at his words. Honestly, with all the damage the Generation of Miracles had done, he would have thought that Kuroko would back Kagami up. He didn’t really think this method would work.

“What? Why?” Kagami asked in confusion and when Kuroko gave him a blank look, Kagami sighed and nodded. “Fine. Let me ask the rest.” He turned to the others and mentally did a head count. Eddy, Felix, and Ben had all agreed to the party. He then also remembered Sebastian, who had returned to school, and he still had to get a response from his brother, Himuro Tatsuya, who wasn’t actually his brother but definitely felt like one. He was sure Kise was going to join them; regarding the blond, Kagami was still iffy about but everyone else had accepted him, so he was going to go along with it for now.

_“Guys, this guy here wants to have a match with us.”_ Kagami said while pointing at Midorima, who had now let go of Kagami’s shoulder and was standing up straight and confident.

The others looked at the Japanese and Ben finally caught the green hair. He pushed Felix away from him before Felix could do anything about it and glared. _“If you think for a second that I’m going to be playing against this fucking ass, you’re going to have to find someone else.”_

Midorima looked at him like he was just a speck of dust. Felix knew what was coming, so he grabbed Ben’s arm and dragged him away before anything could turn worse. Inside, however, Felix was fuming as well.

While those two left, the others didn’t look so hot on the plan. Eddy stepped up. _“I don’t know, Tiger. I mean, we had a whole day planned out ahead of us. It’s only noon and we have until evening to full-start the summer vacation.”_

_“I was really looking forward to those non-alcohol margaritas, you know?”_ Sebastian, a grey-haired, slightly smaller than Kagami, student said with a sheepish smile. He had a few piercings in his ears that Midorima couldn’t help but look in detest and he even looked like the mischievous type.

_“Please.”_ Kuroko suddenly said and everyone directed their attention to the smallest of the group. It wasn’t every day Kuroko voiced his opinion. _“It could be a 20 minute game, just like we did with Kise.”_

_“TK, why are you so intent on having a match with him?”_ Ben said from behind, Felix just a step behind. Kuroko looked at his brown-haired friend for a second. His eyes were lit up with fire from the absolute disgust of even the mere idea of breathing the same air as Midorima. Kuroko wondered just where things had gone wrong, where he had gone wrong.

_“Please.”_ Was the only explanation he could give and the desperation was visible enough for even Eddy, the oblivious one, to figure out immediately. They all sighed, unable to say no to such a plead from their most cherished friend, and nodded.

_“Fine, just for TK.”_ Eddy said as he gave the phantom man a tired smile.

_“I always hated when you sacked those baby blue eyes on me, TK. Not fair, not fair at all.”_ Sebastian commented and Kagami pushed him jokingly.

_“Yes, because you_ obviously _don’t do the same with your own blue eyes.”_ Kagami said while rolling his eyes. Sebastian smiled like a cat.

Felix sighed and refused to smile but still agreed. Then, they all looked at Ben, who was hesitant in his movements. He was about to say no, he really was, but as he saw Kuroko’s blank blue eyes staring into the depths of his soul, he just couldn’t say the word.

Instead, _“If you think for a second that I’m going to play a game with this ass, I refuse… I don’t mind waiting, though.”_ Ben reluctantly said and Kagami punched him on the shoulder, Sebastian ruffled his hair, and for once, Kuroko gave him a small smile. It physically hurt Midorima to see such emotion coming from Kuroko.

_“Hey, why are you guys still here? I was waiting forever for you to come out!”_ Someone suddenly shouted from across the hallway and they all saw Kise, the blond beauty, running towards them with sweating pouring down his neck. When he saw Midorima, he hesitated in his steps.

“Midorimacchi?” Kise asked, scared. Midorima said nothing, merely glared. They hadn’t talked after what Kise had said. Midorima didn’t think he was going to any time soon.

_“Sorry, Ryo. We were sorting something out. This guy here says he wants a match, so we’re going to the gym. Want to join?”_ Eddy explained and Kise looked taken aback. In hindsight, Kise should’ve expected Midorima to ask. He did the same thing, after all.

_“Sure, of course. But how would we divide the teams?”_ Kise said and the group stared at one another. Ben wasn’t going to be part of the match, Kuroko and Kagami obviously needed to be in the same team because they had already been through this with Kise, and there was an odd number, meaning that one of them couldn’t play and would have to keep score instead.

Before another person could volunteer, Kise raised his hand. _“I’ll keep the score board.”_

The others, especially Midorima, looked at him in confusion. “I thought you’d be the first to play with Tetsu.” Kagami commented in Japanese surprisingly. Kise shrugged and looked at the teal-haired student next to him.

He smiled. “Well, it’d be too lopsided. Besides, I think we all know what Kurokocchi’s planning on doing.” He nudged Kuroko and he gave him a grateful look. He then turned back to the rest of the people, who were all lost in the Japanese language.

_“So, I’ll keep the scoreboard. How are you going to split the teams?”_ Kise got back to the topic, and everyone looked at each other unsurely. By this time, every other student in the school was gone, ready to prepare for the long summer in LA.

_“I guess we can have Felix, TK, and Tiger in one team, and me, Sebastian, and uh… What’s your name again?”_ Eddy asked awkwardly and Midorima clicked his tongue.

_“Shintarou Midorima.”_

_“Jesus christ, that’s a hard name. Mind if we just call you Shin?”_ Eddy asked in a good-natured way and Kagami snickered in the background at Midorima’s facial expression. Honestly, he was starting to get reminded of Takao and his incessant annoyance.

_“I -”_ Midorima was going to disagree but Kagami hit him on the back hard. Midorima staggered for a second, unable to say anything more from shock than pain, and looked at the red haired with wide eyes.

_“I think that’s a perfect nickname for him. Let’s go to the gym and finish this.”_ Kagami quickly ended the discussion and everyone headed towards the gym. This time, the ones lagging behind were Kise, Midorima, Kagami, and Kuroko. They said nothing for a while, just listening to the chatter up ahead.

Then, “Why did you come back, Midorima-kun?” Midorima had to hide a wince as he heard the accusation in Kuroko’s voice.

“I wanted to finish this once and for all. I am sick and tired of this place and nothing would make me happier than to go back. Unfortunately, Akashi,” Midorima’s face twisted into disgust, which everyone was able to notice, “won’t do that until you come back with us.”

“So?” Kuroko asked in monotone. Midorima hated that.

“Make a deal with me. If I win this match, you will come with us back to Japan immediately.”

“Hey, what the fuck are you say?” Kagami shouted and the ones in front stopped to see why Kagami had suddenly yelled. He gave them a sheepish smile and gestured at them to keep going. While they were still uncertain, they began to walk again.

Kagami turned back to Midorima and hissed, “What the fuck do you think you’re doing, trying to take Tetsu away from us?”

“He was never yours to begin with. Stay out of it.” Midorima hissed back. He then turned to Kuroko, who was silent throughout the ordeal. Before he could open his mouth, Kise interrupted.

“Midorimacchi, wait a second. Don’t you think you’re going a bit too far? We’re going to have the match in two weeks, so I don’t think we need to -”

When it was clear that Midorima was not listening - or refusing to listen - Kise couldn’t help but looked extremely hurt. Midorima pretended not to see.

“It is alright, Kise-kun. I accept.” Kuroko said after a moment’s silence. The instantaneous reaction of Kagami was enough to make the whole group stop again.

“Tetsu, are you out of your mind?” Kagami screamed but Kuroko didn’t look fazed like the others. Instead, he gave his partner a level-headed look and Kagami calmed down slightly.

“Do you believe we will not win against Midorima-kun?” Kuroko asked simply and Kagami froze. He then bit his lip before smacking his cheeks with his hands hard. The sound resonated throughout the empty hallway and made most of the people jump.

“Right, sorry, Tetsu. I’m the idiot for even remotely thinking that we wouldn’t be able to do it.” Kagami answered, ignoring his stinging cheeks.

_“Ok, now I really need to know what’s going on back there.”_ Eddy commented as he put his hands on his hips. He gave Kagami and pointed look, which Kagami returned with a huge smile.

_“Nothing, dude. Just clearing my head.”_

Felix scoffed. _“I don’t believe you for a second, but thanks for trying.”_ And then it was back to walking.

When they finally arrived to the gym, all except Midorima and Kise began to set up for the game, such as lowering the basket hoops and bringing out the basketball. Kise stood there awkwardly next to Midorima, unsure of how to begin a conversation.

Midorima said nothing, not even looking at the blond, and saw that Kagami and Kuroko were beginning to talk. He strained to hear what they were saying but to no use.

“So, what’s this dickhead’s power?” Kagami asked as he brought out the scoreboard.

Kuroko look focused. “Midorima-kun is a shooting guard. He has never once missed a shot.”

Kagami’s eyes widened. In basketball, the probability of the ball going inside the net was only about 60%, maybe even less. The amount of dedication and practice the person must go through to get even remotely close to 80% was impossible to do. Was Kuroko really saying that Midorima Shintarou had a probability of 100% to get the ball inside the basket?

“You’re kidding.”

“I am not.”

“No one has that kind of ability. No one can really shoot that well and have it always go in.”

“Kagami-kun, you forget that Midorima-kun is one of the Generation of Miracles. They are blessed with great talent, just like you and your jumping strength.”

“But no one can shoot without missing at least one!”

Before Kuroko could refute him, as well as adding one more important information about the green-haired shooting guard, Eddy called them to the middle, where everyone was waiting. They all glanced at one another, mostly eyeing Midorima and his haughty expression, and Kise held the ball.

_“Ready?”_ He asked and the six people on the court nodded. Ben crossed his arms and silently watched. 

Kise threw the ball in the air and Kagami caught it before Midorima could. Midorima was surprised at the high jump Kagami could do, but focused on the match, knowing a slight mistake would cost him the game, and ultimate his freedom. Kagami passed it Felix, who then passed it back to Kagami when he was back on the ground. Quickly surpassing Midorima and Sebastian, he jumped for the net and easily scored 2 points. Everyone gave him a quick pat on the back before resuming the game. Sebastian took the ball from the corner and passed it to Eddy, who then dribbled slightly before giving it to Midorima, who was in the center line. He made no move whatsoever, not even when Eddy gestured at him to pass it to him; he just took the ball and before Kagami could go and block, Midorima had already thrown the ball and slowly, the ball came straight down into the basket.

The gym was silent as everyone except for two began to process what had just happened. What they had just seen was unbelievable; the uninvited Japanese had shot from the center line, even farther away than the three-point line, and with an impossibly high arch, the ball accurately fell down through the net.

A few seconds passed before clamors spread.

_“What the fuck was that?”_

_“Did he really just shoot from the center line and actually got it in?”_

_“What is up with that arch? How the fuck did he score with that kind of arch?”_

“Kagami-kun.” Kagami fell out of his stupor when he heard Kuroko passing by. He quickly looked to see Kuroko running to the ball, which was under the net. “Please start running.” Kagami nodded as he rushed to the end of the court, where their basket was at. Kise blew his whistle, already used to such a sight, and the game resumed. Kuroko took the ball and Midorima got ready to block Felix, who was closest to him.

Kuroko was supposed to pass to the blond haired Swede; at least, that was what Midorima had thought. Instead, the phantom man began to rotate his body quickly with the ball in his hand, and before Midorima could understand what was going to happen, Kuroko let go of the ball and, like a canon, sliced through the court and right into Kagami’s hand.

The red head, who was waiting on the other side of the court, scored another two points, bringing them to a 4, compared to Midorima’s 3. Another rush of noise swept the gym. They all swarmed Kuroko in awe and surprise.

_“What the fuck was_ that _?”_

_“Did the ball just passed the entire court? TK, what the fuck? When could you do something like that? Do that with me next time!”_

_“What is up with you Japanese people, getting all the cool powers for basketball?”_

Midorima interrupted the compliment-fest as he glared down on Kuroko. He responded back with a blank look.

“Kuroko…” Midorima growled, angry that he was so caught off-guard.

“I’m sorry, but I cannot allow you to win, Midorima-kun. I like being here. You cannot make me leave.” Kuroko answered back and Midorima felt a slight stab inside him. He harrumphed to hide the hurt before going back to the center line. He would have to be more careful from now on, if he wanted to win against Kuroko and finally go back to Japan.

Akashi’s fault. It was Akashi’s fault.

* * *

 

The match was even-leveled, although Sebastian and Eddy were getting immensely frustrated with Midorima’s in-cooperation to work together. When Kise witnessed this, he couldn’t help but wince at his own personal experience. Had he always been that arrogant?

Midorima was slowly clawing up points, making precise calculations on when to shoot his impossibly long but accurate three-pointers. Kagami was also getting frustrated. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t block those shots.When Sebastian finally called for a time out, almost 7 minutes into the game, Kagami went to Kuroko for advice.

“How do you even block that kind of shot? It’s too fucking high! That arc is not for basketball!” Kagami complained as Kuroko took a sip of water from his water bottle. He then looked at Kagami as if he were an idiot (but then again, that could’ve just been his imagination and didn’t actually see the small eye roll Kuroko did), and it took several seconds for Kagami to understand.

He smacked himself on he head. “Right, I can just keep jumping until I can catch up to that bastard.” He looked at the other team, where Eddy was trying to get Midorima to cooperate with them, but to no avail. “I admit, those shots are incredible. Who would’ve thought that he could shoot from the center line and actually make it in?”

“Kagami-kun, I told you before. Midorima-kun never misses a shot. Not even when he’s in the center line. That is his specialty. However, we are lucky that that is his limit to where he can shoot. He never shoots if he knows that there might be even a slight possibility of not getting it in.”

Kise’s eyes widened at Kuroko’s words. Of course he wouldn’t know, Kuroko was in LA the entire time everyone else was evolving. “Kurokocchi, wait, you -”

Ben nudged Kise and he realized that the time out was over. Kuroko gave him a curious look but ran back to the court. Kise bit his lip in nervousness as the game started once more. Eddy sighed and Kagami patted his back.

_“No luck?”_ Kagami asked and Eddy rubbed the back of his neck from the stress.

_“Didn’t even bother to listen.”_

Slowly, as the second quarter started, Kagami’s team began to lead. Eddy and Sebastian were close to giving up on trying to get Midorima to pass the ball to them, and slowly, Midorima was getting desperate. He needed to win.

So, he finally decided to use his trump card. He knew he would get tired immediately, but Kagami was catching up to his shots and soon enough, he would be able to go par in par with Midorima, something the green-head refused to have. Midorima distinguished Kagami’s talent the moment they jumped at the start of the game. The red head just kept going higher and higher, to the point where Midorima was actually feeling threatened.

As Kagami went in for the dunk, Midorima was waiting for him, ready to pounce. Due to the advantage of Midorima’s height, being a full 5cm taller, he took the ball from Kagami, and as both fell down, Midorima was the first to recover.

Kagami and the others, even Kuroko, watched with wide eyes and Midorima didn’t begin to dribble to the center line for another shot. They watched as his body molded into that of his perfect shooting form and even though he was at the end of the court, opposite to the basket, Midorima still prepared to shoot. And everyone watched, whether from surprise or dread or both, as the green-haired prodigy shot the ball at an immensely high arch and slowly, ever so slowly, the ball finally fell straight into the net, earning Midorima’s team another three points.

The gym was silenced once more. This time, not even words of complete shock could come out of the students’ mouths.

Then, “I will win, Kuroko.” Midorima said simply and Kise blew the whistle to keep the game going. He was scared for Kuroko’s team. Midorima Shintarou had finally revealed his trump card: his endless shooting range.

The shock was overwhelming, to say the least, but once the shock was over, Kagami was more than determined to stop Midorima and his seemingly impossible shots. He looked for possible solutions, outcomes, and with a little help from his partner and shadow, he smiled.

With his still growing jumping power, little by little, he began to close the gap between MIdorima’s shoots and Kagami’s hand, which went higher and higher.

Midorima didn’t even know until it happened. The ball, as he shot it, was slightly touched by Kagami’s finger and the ball, unlike the other times he shot, hit the rim a few times before going in. Felix was the first to comment on it.

_“That was amazing, Tiger. With a bit more, you can block him.”_ The unwavering trust and confidence of Felix was enough to set Kagami riling. Soon enough, with just a little bit more, he was finally able to stop Midorima’s shooting. 

“You always took longer as you were farther away from the basket. Anyone could catch up at this point.” Kagami commented as he passed Midorima. The prodigy swallowed a lump in his throat as he got ready to defend.

And from there, it all went down hill for the green-haired, overly prideful, Japanese student.

It was too much to handle; he didn’t have Takao and his precise passing nor did he have a lessened pride to work with others. The other team, on the other hand, were like cogs beautifully working with each other to make each pass, shot, and score work to their favor. Their smooth transitions felt like the rotating cogs to make the machine work, and Midorima could see right before his eyes; Kuroko was smiling as he sent another pass to Kagami Taiga.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't catch up, and finally, the whistle rang and the score was 68 to 66 in favor of Kuroko’s team. Everyone, regardless of which team they were in, cheered for the freak duo, and Midorima was left alone as he processed the score.

Kise walked up to him with his hands behind his back, still awkward but determined to make things work again. He cautiously approached the reticent man. “Are you ok, Midorimacchi?”

There was no word from him again, and Kise hated the pain in his chest. Was Midorima really never going to talk to him again?

The blond tried to reach out to the shooting guard but he immediately shook it off. Instead of staying in the gym, he fled to where Kise and he had been at lunch. He didn’t know what this flooding emotion was but it was enough to make several tears leak out. He quickly wiped them away but as they left, others replaced them, and soon enough, Midorima couldn’t stop crying.

He was glad he ran away from the scene before anyone could see him unable to contain himself. He was not himself, he was not who he thought he was. He was not strong enough to win a game, much less bring Kuroko back. Could it be that had he relied on the two teammates he had, he would have had a better chance of winning?

Midorima froze as his tears halted in place. Was that what Kuroko truly wanted in the end? Was that why Kuroko wanted to play a match against him? Was Kuroko trying to help him all this time?

The small voice in his head repeating the words ‘Akashi’s fault’ grew smaller and smaller until it was no longer there. Instead, there was another voice replacing it, telling him to take responsibility, to right the wrong.

_“You ok?”_ A voice called out from behind and Midorima didn’t have to turn around to recognize that it was Ben, of all people.

_“What do you want?”_ Midorima asked hoarsely, trying his best not to let his voice crack.

_“I wanted to see how you were doing. You just suddenly ran out, you know? TK’s really worried.”_ Ben said without moving from his spot. He couldn’t see Midorima crying, and maybe Ben knew but respected that Midorima didn’t want anyone seeing him. Suddenly, memories flashed of the incident earlier in the day and Midorima felt tremendous guilt that before, his pride had refused to let him feel.

_“I’m ok.”_

_“Really? Because it doesn’t seem that way to me. Did you honestly think you could’ve won without anyone’s help? Did you honestly think that you could win with your skill alone?”_ Ben asked but there was no accusation in his voice, only curiosity.

Midorima was silent for a second, Then, he answered. _“I did. i believed all those things, but I was wrong in the end.”_ There, he had finally swallowed his pride.

Ben must’ve sensed that as well because he moved from his spot, slowing going closer to Midorima, hit him on the back once without looking at his face.

_“Good, because I would’ve kicked your ass if you still didn’t get that. Come back to the gym when you’re ready. We’ll be waiting for you.”_

Midorima was confused. _“Why would you wait for me? Just go and do whatever you were planning on doing. Didn’t I interrupt your day?”_

Ben shrugged. _“Don’t worry about it. Just hurry up. Felix might not seem like it, but he actually gets really impatient. We wouldn’t him to be grumpier than he actually is, you know?”_ When Midorima said nothing in return, Ben began to walk away. His hands were on his head and he was feeling more refreshed than he had ever been.

And when he heard a small yet powerful, _“I’m sorry for what I did,”_ from the prideful Midorima Shintarou, Ben felt like he was on top of the world.

_“Just hurry up. You never tried LA style non-alcoholic margaritas, right?”_

Later on that day, Midorima sat next to Kise with his non-alcoholic margarita, occasionally contributing to the story Kise was telling about the one time Kuroko stopped a robbery from happening.

It was no longer Akashi’s fault. He was his and his alone, and now, he was taking responsibility for it. He was finally righting the wrong.


	7. Chapter 7

" _Tiger, is it just me or are you limping a bit?"_ Ben suddenly asked as the group began to walk towards the beach for another summer day. It had been two days after the match with Midorima and it seemed like Kuroko's group was getting bigger by the day. Now, two of the Generation of Miracles were joining them on their trips to the beach and while it was a bit cramped and uncomfortable at first, they were slowly turning into sociable, good people.

Ben noticed the change in Kagami's walking on the third day of their anticipated summer vacation. Kagami hesitated on Ben's words but quickly tried to mask that with a smile.

 _"No, why?"_ Kagami asked with a horribly fake innocent expression. Kuroko's eyes narrowed, silently thanking Ben for bringing that up. Honestly speaking, Kuroko himself had see Kagami's legs acting up but was giving the red head the benefit of the doubt, in hopes of Kagami opening up to him instead of having to confront him.

 _"I don't know. You kind of look like you're in pain whenever you walk. Are you ok?"_ Ben specified and Kagami nodded his head a bit too quickly. He never was a good liar.

_"Yeah, don't worry about it. I'm fine."_

"Kagami-kun, please tell them the truth." Kuroko interrupted in Japanese and Kagami jumped in surprise as he didn't realize Kuroko was standing beside him. Immediately, his face contorted in pain and the others stopped walking in worry.

 _"Tiger, why didn't you tell us you were hurt?"_ Eddy, with a pained expression on him, asked and Kagami looked at him guiltily, silently telling him an apology.

Felix was already on his knees, checking Kagami's calves that were furiously twitching in pain.

 _"Tiger, you overexerted yourself."_ Felix concluded after a brief examination. The others looked at each other with troubled expressions, and Kagami bit his lip.

 _"Guys, I'm fine, really. I just —_ "

 _When did this happen?"_ Sebastian asks and with his cat eyes lit with fire, Kagami couldn't avoid the question. He unconsciously looked at Midorima, who looked guilty himself. If Kagami didn't know any better, he was sure Midorima knew that this happened because of their match.

 _"It just started stinging a bit after the match with Shin. Guys, really, you don't have to worry. I'm fine."_ Kagami tried to persuade but no one would believe him. Kuroko was practically glaring at him, and that made Kagami feel daunted and very small.

"Kagami-kun, why did you not tell us?" Kuroko asked, his voice cold, and Kagami bit his lips once more.

"It's really not a big deal, Tetsu. It'll heal fast. It'll —"

"Judging by how much effort you're putting in not trying put weight on them, it obviously won't." Midorima butted in, Kise trailing from behind anxiously.

"I'm telling you I'm fine."

Kuroko suddenly pushed Kagami down. From the unexpected action, Kagami fell to the ground without much of a struggle, and it surprised everyone in the group.

"Kagami-kun." Kuroko said with a demanding voice that Kagami never heard before. The atmosphere turned icy and Kagami looked at Kuroko, eyes slightly widened.

_"As a friend, I have the duty to take care of you when you are hurt. As a friend, I should at least have your trust to rely on a friend at times of need. As a friend, I have the obligation and responsibility to support you whenever you need it. What is the point of being partners when you do not even trust me enough to tell me you are hurt?"_

The group turned silent, even the surroundings around them dimming in sound. Kuroko's words echoed around them over and over again, and Kagami, after being in shock for so long, hung his head in shame.

 _"I'm sorry._ " He apologized with his eyes down-casted. _"I didn't think people would worry this much. I really did think I was ok."_

 _"Dude, you're more of an idiot than I thought if you think for a second that we wouldn't be worried about you."_ Ben said angrily, but his eyes were sympathetic.

Kagami lifted his head and gave them a small smile. _"Right, I'm an idiot for even remotely thinking that you guys wouldn't care. Sorry about that."_

 _"For the time being, let's get him to a place where he can rest. I'll look at it more closely."_ Midorima said, and while Kagami had a surprised look on his face, the others agreed with him naturally. Sebastian and Eddy took either side of Kagami's arm and hoisted him up, letting Kagami's arm rest on their shoulders, and their hands supported Kagami's legs strongly and lifted them up.

Kagami shouted in surprise. _"What the fuck are you guys doing? Let me down!"_

Eddy and Sebastian didn't answer him. Instead, they began running down to one of the restaurants at the beach, the rest of the group trailing behind them. Kagami kept screaming at them to let him down but ended up having to grab onto their shirts in fear of losing his balance and falling in the sand. When the group arrived to the restaurant, Felix went to talk to the manager of the place, which was coincidentally owned by April's aunt, and soon enough, they could get a small place at the back of the restaurant hut where they could lay down the red-haired man. It was the perfect place for the group to be at because the backyard was wide open, letting everyone have an amazing view of beach and sky, and they could easily ask April's aunt for food or drinks if they wanted to.

 _"Not cool. I could've walked here on my own."_ Kagami grumbled like a child, crossing his arms and pouting.

 _"Nope, never make that kind of face ever again, Tiger. Cute doesn't suit you."_ Ben commented in joking disgust. Kagami glared at him, but the joking sentiment was the same.

Midorima then walked up to Kagami, who was trying to get comfortable without using his legs. "Can I inspect your legs?"

"What are you, a doctor?" Kagami answered skeptically.

Midorima didn't look fazed at all. "My father is."

Kagami's retort died in his throat. With a dry look, he nodded, putting up no fight, and Midorima gingerly took one of his legs and began to scrutinize it. It was a bit harder to get the diagnosis without proper equipment, but judging by the constant twitching of his calves and the uneven bumps that was spread throughout his leg, Midorima could judge that, while it wasn't extreme, it was still enough to worry many.

 _"With a few days rest, he should be fine."_ Midorima's final verdict was, and the others sighed in relief. _"If he doesn't use his legs for any harsh exercise or activity, he should be fully healed and ready to go."_

 _"Thank goodness, I thought he wouldn't have been able to play basketball again."_ Eddy commented with his hand to his chest, clearly in relief.

Kagami looked horrified at the sudden thought. _"Are you saying that if this were worse, I wouldn't have been able to even play anymore?"_

Midorima glared at him like he was an idiot, which frankly, Kagami kind of was. "Of course, you idiot. Do you realize how dangerous over-exertion can be to an athlete? A single misstep and they may never be able to play again."

"But —"

"Midorima-kun is right. Kagami-kun. This is what I meant when I said you have to tell your friends. If you hadn't told us or if Ben hadn't noticed, who knows what you would have done to harm your legs even further. You have to be more considerate of your body." Kuroko added, evidently still angry.

Kagami looked at Kuroko with a sorrowful expression. "I'm sorry, Tetsu. I really am."

Kuroko's gaze softened because he knew Kagami was truly meant his apology and he knew how dire his actions were. "Please do not do this again, Kagami-kun."

Kagami's eyes then steeled. "I did what I had to do, Tetsu. I would've done anything to win, especially since your leaving was on the line." Midorima visibly winced at Kagami's words, realizing once again that Kagami's injury was because of him.

Kagami noticed the wince. "Oi, don't get all guilty on me now, bastard. I hate when people look down on me."

"You still got hurt." Midorima tried to retort but Kagami's intense gaze made Midorima's voice sound so small.

"It doesn't matter. I should've known my boundaries but didn't. You did what you could to win. What else could anyone ever hope for?"

"But —"

"There is no feeling better than when you realize that a strong opponent acknowledges your own skill. You acknowledged me, which meant that you were going full on out with me. What better way to have a match? Who cares if I got a bit hurt. In the end, we still won against you." Kagami said with a big grin on his face and Midorima smacked him on the head.

"Fool, I'll win next time. Don't get your hopes up solely because you were lucky that one time." Midorima responded, but it actually looked like he was having fun.

 _"You know, I feel really left out right now. And I'm the one who carried you."_ Sebastian interfered with his hands to his hip, feigning hurt.

Kagami barked in laughter. _"Never said you had to carry me, although if you were to do it a bit more often, I'd much appreciate it."_

 _"Fuck you, Tiger. Do you realize how heavy you are? It was like carrying a freaking elephant!"_ Sebastian replied, his hand dramatically placed onto his chest, and then also gave the red-head a smack to the head.

 _"Is this Smack-Tiger-Day? Stop hitting me, will you?"_ Kagami complained as he rubbed the back of his head.

 _"Please, as if that's enough to make you feel anything. You should try getting hit by one of your own punches, man. Now that's something to complain about."_ Ben said, hitting Kagami in the head. Kagami bared his teeth to try and scare away the brown-haired man but Ben merely raised his eyebrow with minimal amusement.

 _"It's true. Tiger, your punches could knock out even the strongest gangsters in the area. Like seriously, stop being such a monster."_ Eddy commented with a natural, breezy smile. They all laughed, Midorima and Kise included, and the tense atmosphere from just a few minutes back dissipated into thin air, as if it never happened.

For the rest of the day, they all hung out at the small backyard of the restaurant, now and then ordering nonalcoholic margaritas from April's aunt, and just talked about everything and nothing. They talkws about basketball, about Midorima and Kise's life in middle school, about the time Kagami was bit by a dog and now had a trauma of it, and just generally anything that friends talked about. Midorima and Kise were becoming used to this kind of thing, this nonchalant chatting, and were actually starting to enjoy their time with the rest of the group. They felt as though they were truly part of this friend group, and it reminded them of their time in middle school, before Aomine's sudden talent surge. They felt like they were part of a family again.

When it was time to leave, the sun had already begun to gone down and most of the people at the beach were packing their things to leave. Eddy called a taxi and began to hoist up Kagami with their arms interlocking with each other's shoulder. Sebastian tried to help but Kagami refused, saying that he was alright now. Kuroko also said goodbye to the rest of the group, gave Midorima and Kise a long, unreadable look before leaving, and soon enough, it was just the two Generation of Miracles at the restaurant.

The two sat at the edge of the floor, exactly where Kagami had been just a few minutes ago, and the two looked at the warm, orange sky. The blazing sun was now finally falling down, letting the moon substitute after another long day. The sky mashed up various shades of red and orange, making the collage of colors so beautiful that anyone's soul could have been melted with warmth. Kise looked dreamily into the distance, reminiscing about today. Midorima, on the other hand, was starting to get nervous.

Kise picked it up a few moments later. "Midorimacchi, what's wrong?"

Midorima looked at Kise with unmasked, worrying eyes. "Kise, we have a week and a half left."

Kise immediately knew where the green-head was going with this. "Has time already gone by so fast?" He asked, sitting upright with his whole body tense.

Midorima nodded. "Whichever way it goes, we will have to leave."

Kise's eyes started to go teary. "But it's so nice here. And the people are really kind."

Midorima couldn't help but agree. It truly felt as if he were a part of something again. "Yes."

"Do we really have to fight them?" Kise desperately asked, looking at Midorima for an answer that they both wanted to hear.

However, Midorima was never one to lie and he wasn't going to do it now, no matter how much it pained him to say it. "We do. There is nothing that will change Akashi's mind."

Kise stayed quiet for a few seconds, letting the slight chirping of birds take over their silent surroundings. Then, "Why are we so afraid of him? Why are we so willing to put up so much with someone like him?"

"What do you mean?" Midorima asked tiredly. He literally just had this crisis a few days ago.

"Why are we doing this? Just what gave Akashicchi the right to order us around like this? To go so far as to force us to come to America?"

"Kise —" Midorima started to say but was immediately cut off.

"No, I don't want any excuses. I want to know why, just why I'm going through with all this bullshit when Akashi doesn't even _own_ me. Why in the world did I fucking agree to come here in the first place? Who does Akashi think he is, thinking that he has total control over us? We're not his slaves, for fuck's sake!" Kise bursted in anger, his voice resonating loud enough that the people inside the restaurant all turn their heads in curiosity.

April's aunt, a sweet, middle-aged woman called May, walked over to them with a worried expression. _"Is everything ok there?"_

Kise's face turned red with embarrassment. _"Yes, sorry about that."_

May look at the blond skeptically. _"Right, well, if you need anything, just call."_

 _"That won't be necessary. We'll be leaving soon ourselves. Thank you for your hospitality."_ Midorima answered, formally bowing to her as a habit of his. May looked extremely distressed by the sudden action but smiled softly soon after.

 _"No problem. I'm always happy to help out my dear niece's friends."_ May then walked even closer to them and leaned in. Kise and Midorima, curious, imitated her action. _"Next time, tell me when you're going to bring that sandy-haired boy again. He looks like he'll be a good match for April."_

Kise and MIdorima looked at each other for a split second, trying to figure out who in the world May was talking about, but their minds click at the same time as soon as they realized that there is only one sandy-haired man in the group.

 _"Do you mean Felix? The man with blue eyes?"_ Midorima provided.

May nodded enthusiastically. _"Yes, yes, him. He was so polite in asking me if you lot could stay and I had seen him a few times talking with April. I think he's the perfect man for her."_

Kise smiled mischievously. _"Does April like Felix?"_

May mimicked the expression. _"Oh, you have no idea."_ She said vaguely. May then walked back into her restaurant, swaying her hips in a joking manner, and started to tend another customer, as if the discussion had never existed.

Kise and MIdorima glanced at each other once before both started laughing. Kise was practically rolling on the ground and Midorima couldn't help letting out a few snickers of joy.

"We definitely have to get them together." Kise declared and Midorima nodded, agreeing with Kise easily, something he never would have done had he stayed in Japan. He had to admit, coming did have its perks.

"It's almost painful to see their awkwardness with each other." Midorima contributed and for another minute or so, they merely pour over how Felix and April are the perfect couple. It was weird for Midorima to be having this kind of conversation with anyone, let alone Kise, his former teammate. After everything they had been through, after practically ignoring each other in high school, they were here, laughing and gossiping about a friend they made in LA. It was completely unexpected, and yet, completely whole-hearted.

"We have to devise something. I refuse to go back to Japan before seeing them together." Kise proposed and the cheerful, almost careless moment was suddenly over. The two were yanked back into reality as they realized just why they had come here in the first place.

"I don't want to leave." Kise said morosely and Midorima looked down-casted himself.

"I know."

"Everything is perfect here."

"I know."

"I don't want to beat them and force Kurokocchi to leave."

"I know."

"He loves it here."

"I know."

"What can we do, then? How can we convince Akashi to stop this?"

Midorima looked at Kise once before closing his eyes and covering them with his hands. He sighed as dread and an unknown burden started to weigh down his shoulders.

"We can't."

* * *

Aomine was getting antsy. Even he admitted that he wasn't the most social person on this planet, but now, he was actually getting desperate for human contact. Sure, he had Murasakibara and Akashi in the house with him but he wasn't necessarily that friendly with either them, even more so because they were all still on awkward terms with each other.

Thinking back on it now, he was never really good friends with Murasakibara in the first place, even when they were in middle school, because it seemed like the two didn't have any common interests. In the end, they left each other alone for their own quirks, Murasakibara with his food and Aomine with his manly needs (in other words, porn). Akashi, Aomine didn't even want to think about. He was still extremely bitter with Akashi and his actions, and he didn't even want to confront the red-head. Not that he had to, anyways. Akashi was always away to who knew where in the summer house, and he was always on the phone, talking to whomever. Not only that, Akashi was on edge. He was practically at the brink of exploding. Just a single look at him at dinner yesterday and Aomine knew that with just a single misstep, he would end up dying from a sudden mine explosion.

And now, the only two people Aomine could tolerate talking to weren't even around the house anymore. In fact, he realized that he had barely seen Kise and Midorima since they had arrived to LA. He didn't really care much about Kise leaving the house; it was to be expected, really. He was as sociable as people could get, considering his part-time job as a model, but Midorima was a complete surprise. Aomine never even contemplated Midorima talking to people, much less having a social life, but now that the Generation of Miracles were here, it was as if he had gone through a 180 degree personality change. He was now hanging outside of the house, and with Kise, one of the most bubbly, cheerful, almost borderline annoying people in the group.

It left Aomine dumbfounded. But even more so, it left him with a sour taste in his mouth. Here he was, lounging about in the couch, occasionally going outside for some one-man basketball, absolutely miserable. Kise wouldn't even join him for a one-on-one anymore, which surprised the tanned man more than it should have. Everything in Aomine's eyes was turning upside down, and it made him nauseous with anger.

Just what was so special about this place? This godforsaken place was just riddled with extremely sunny days, too much noise, and great amounts of English that no Japanese person should ever have to encounter. Aomine hated it here because it felt as if he was being restricted. He didn't know what was being restricted or why, but it was irritating the hell out of him and he was just itching to punch something.

When the door opened to the summer house and the two Generation of Miracles, Kise and Midorima, entered, Aomine was already waiting by the side, impatiently tapping his finger on the counter.

"And where the hell were you two at?" Aomine started with an angry glint in his eye. Midorima casually looked at him, shrugged, and without even opening his mouth, he passed Aomine and walked towards his room.

Aomine was having none of it. The summer heat was already getting to him and he refused to have anyone ignore him so blatantly like that. Before Midorima could move a step closer to his room, Aomine grabbed him by the shoulder and spun him around forcefully.

Midorima choked in his own spit from the sudden movement, and stood there frozen with wide eyes as he met Aomine's blazing blue eyes. "What do you think you're —" The green-haired man started to say but was immediately cut off by Aomine.

"I was asking you a goddamn question, bastard. And you're not moving even an inch from that place Kise, you got that?" He quickly warned when he saw the blond starting to tip toe away from the corner of his eye. The blond immediately froze in his place, looking terribly uncomfortable.

Midorima was trying to get Aomine's hand to budge from his shoulder. "Will you let go of me? It's very unpleasant for you to touch me like this." He said in distaste.

"Fuck you, Midorima. I wouldn't have had to do this if you just answered my question."

Midorima glared. "I don't see why I have to. You already know anyways."

"Fine, then let me change it. What were you doing?" Aomine said, his eyes and Midorima's staring at each other in great discontent. Kise began shivering from the cold atmosphere.

"Guys, come on. We shouldn't be fighting like this." Kise tried to intervene but was quickly shut down by Aomine's fiery blue eyes, filled with animosity.

"Shut the fuck up, Kise. I wasn't talking to you." Aomine gritted out.

Kise wasn't having this. What was the point of trying to be peaceful and calm when the opponent refused to have one? He had just had a horrible talk with Midorima and he was already feeling like shit. He didn't need the person he most admired to talk down on him, like he was a lesser human being. "What the fuck is your problem?" He spit out, unable to contain himself.

"Hah? Are you talking to me, fucker?" Aomine said as he sharply turned his head to the fuming blond. Soon forgetting about the taller man in front of him, Aomine sauntered up to Kise and grabbed him by the helm of his shirt.

Pulling Kise's face close to his, Aomine said, "Repeat that again, will you?"

Kise didn't back down. Instead, he narrowed his golden eyes to meet Aomine's glare. "Did you not understand what I said?" He asked. "What the fuck is your problem?" Kise then responded slowly, purposely making it sound like he was talking to a five year old child.

Aomine noticed it instantly. Unable to control his accumulating anger, he got ready to swing a punch at Kise's model face but was stopped at the last second by Midorima, who held onto Aomine's arm quickly.

"Stop fighting, this is insane. Aomine, what is wrong with you?" Midorima shouted, the clamor loud enough to make Murasakibara come out of the kitchen in curiosity.

"What's all this noise?" Murasakibara asked in a lazy voice, dragging out most of the words. He looked at the scene bestowed upon him and tilted his head slightly. "Why does Mine-chin look like he wants to murder something?"

"It's none of your business. Go back to eating snacks or something." Aomine grumbled as he shook Midorima's hand from him. Murasakibara stayed there for a few seconds, saying nothing, but then shrugged and promptly went back inside. The tension that had been interrupted by the giant slowly returned, but this time, the anger was slowly diminishing.

Aomine took a deep breath, running a hand through his hair. "Will you two just answer the goddamn question?"

"I don't see why you're so curious about it." Midorima noted.

"Why are you suddenly so angry?" Kise added, and Aomine clicked his tongue impatiently.

The summer heat must have truly been getting to him. "You know what? Forget about it. I'm going to sleep." He replied with in a sharp tone. Midorima and Kise looked at each other for a second, baffled at Aomine's sudden mood swings.

"Aominecchi, what's wrong?" Kise called out in a last attempt to try to understand the situation but the tanned man merely ignored him, going to his room and locking the door so that he would have some peace and quiet.

"I could go to the beach tomorrow." He muttered to himself as he lied down on the comfortable bed. Sure, the mattress was extremely soft and it felt like clouds, but Aomine didn't like it. He didn't like this bed because it wasn't his own. He missed the bed he had been using since elementary school, where all different kinds of memories lied beneath it. He missed his bed and everything around it; his desk, his closet, the basketball hoop that his father had once installed when he was little. Hell, he even missed his parents, and that was saying something.

"Yeah, the beach sounds nice." He then said, closing his eyes with a grimace as he covered his face with the pillow. Again, he didn't like it. It wasn't his. There was no lingering scent whatsoever because it was always washed the next day. Instead of smelling the usual sweat and basketball rubber, he was always smelling lavender and white rose petals. It wasn't pleasant; in fact, it was giving him headaches.

In the end, however, he had to resist going outside to get aspirin for this headache that kept bothering him since they came here. He had to resist opening the door and facing the others because if anything, he hated seeing the color red.

* * *

For unknown reasons, the next day, Aomine found Midorima and Kise lounging in the living room. Murasakibara was obviously still in the kitchen — it was practically his second home by now — and he didn't even acknowledge Akashi's presence, not that he was there in the first place. He was probably taking another call in another room.

He walked over to where they were, curiosity sparking within him, and saw that they were in deep conversation. He walked as silently as possible, with the intention of eavesdropping, and crouched down behind the sofa, listening clearly to what the two were talking about. For the most part, it worked.

"…telling you that we can't."

"But if we could just explain how much he loves being here, maybe we could —"

"You saw how he reacted at school. You saw how ineffective that was. Do you really expect that he'll change his mind if we, of all people, told him?"

"…Ok, fine. You have a point. Isn't there any other way then?"

"I thought I told you before, we can't do anything about it. In the end, we're going to have to do as he says."

"Why is Akashicchi so intent on bringing him back anyways?"

"I don't know. Maybe it's a way to regain his pride as the 'all-knowing.'"

"Midorimacchi, is that sarcasm?"

"I thought that was obvious."

"Right, but normally you talk that way, so it's kind of hard to distinguish."

"Your point being?"

"Midorimacchi, I don't want to do this. I don't want to participate in the match anymore."

"And do you think I do?"

Aomine's eyes widened. Blowing his cover, he stood up quickly from his crouching position and surprised the two Generation of Miracles by thumping his hands on the sofa with a loud bang. "You guys don't want to participate in the match anymore?"

"When did you come here?" Midorima replied in slight surprise, also slightly offended that he didn't notice such a loud, bumbling idiot in the first place.

"Doesn't matter. Have you guys actually gone soft because of some Americans?" Aomine accused, his eyes hard and sharp. Kise looked very uncomfortable, just like last time, but Midorima merely shrugged, not letting the words get to him.

"It's our decision whether we want to play or not. I, for one, will do what I can to get out of it."

"Akashi's not going to let you." Aomine pointed out and noticed how Midorima's hands clenched at the mention of Akashi's name.

"Akashi doesn't dictate our lives." Midorima responded sharply.

Aomine rolled his eyes. "Yes, because if he did, we surely wouldn't be here, in fucking America, trying to take someone who won't even look at us properly."

"He won't look at _you_ properly, Aomine." Midorima corrected bluntly and Aomine's eyes widened.

"What did you say?"

"You're just angry because Kuroko doesn't consider you his partner anymore. We can all see it. You're not exactly that hard to read."

"Midorimacchi…" Kise said in a low voice, trying to warn the green-head to stop provoking a sleeping monster. If Midorima got the foreboding, he didn't act like he did.

"Mind clarifying that for me, bastard?" Aomine said, his eyes flashing red.

Midorima was unfazed. "Kuroko is doing just fine without you, Aomine. Without any of us, for that matter. You're just harboring anger towards Kagami because you think he took away your partner."

When Aomine said nothing in return, Midorima continued. "Aomine, you have to realize your own mistake. _You_ were the one that let go of Kuroko. The moment your talent surged, you were leaving him behind, and you _knew_ it. You knew it and even then, you still let your emotions control you. You ended up neglecting him as both a partner and a friend because you were selfish and decided that putting the effort was not worth it anymore. Even when you knew Kuroko was struggling to keep up with you, you let your ego get to you and you left him behind in the rain. You left him to give him the wrong realization that he was practically worthless to the team. _You_ were the one that made him realize such a terrible, untrue assumption."

"Shut the fuck up." Aomine whispered, his mind becoming disarrayed by the second.

"What?" Midorima asked, his arms crossed and his eyes ready for conflict.

"I said shut the fuck up!" Aomine then screamed as he unconsciously grabbed Midorima's head and pushed him to the side of the sofa. Midorima's head landed with thunk, thankfully still on the couch, and Aomine glared down as Midorima slowly lifted his head, more from shock than from pain. Murasakibara once again entered the scene, relatively oblivious but curious and maybe even a bit worried as he checked on his former teammates.

"You have no right to assume that. What did you ever know about me and Tetsu anyways?" Aomine gritted, his breath jagged.

Midorima adjusted his glasses but refused to look at the tanned man. "What do you think me and Kise have been doing for the last couple of days? Unlike a certain someone, we were actually doing something to set things right again."

"Are you talking about me? You're basically calling me a coward, aren't you?" Aomine asked, his breath turning uneven and his eyes becoming slightly unfocused.

"I am." Midorima said simply.

"And what gives you the right to say that?"

"You believe it yourself, don't you? If you didn't, you never would've gotten angry like this." The green-haired man said simply and Aomine was ready to start a fight with the taller man in a fit of complete and utter fury.

"Murasakibaracchi, hold him down!" Kise yelled at the last second, and Murasakibara, feeling the alarming furor of Aomine himself, did as he was told. Using his basketball reflexes, the purple-haired giant reached for Aomine's shoulders and pulled him towards him, then gripping them as tightly as possible to stop any momentum in Aomine's body.

The tanned man struggled to get out of Murasakibara's grip but even he had to admit that in terms of strength, he was lacking.

"Let me go." Aomine warned but Murasakibara shook his head.

"Mine-chin is being scary." He drawled as an excuse. Technically speaking, it was true.

Midorima let out the breath he didn't know he was holding. "Aomine, I don't regret any of the words I spoke to you. If anything, I'm proud that I did. If you're this angry at me, it means that you regret something that involves Kuroko. Will you get that through your mind already?"

"Fuck you, Midorima. I don't have to listen to you for a goddamn second." Aomine spat out but stopped trying to get out Murasakibara's hold. He didn't want to accept it, but what Midorima had just said was all true. He was angry because his friend was taken away from him. He was even angrier because he got replaced with a basketball player that wasn't as remotely good as him. And yet, why? Why did Kuroko choose Kagami Taiga instead of him? What did he do wrong?

"Let go, Murasakibara."

"But Mine-chin might hurt people again."

"I'm not going to. I'm going to go the beach. Now let me go." He said, losing the adrenaline and making his body go slightly limp. The giant looked at Kise for confirmation and with a small pause, the blond nodded his head and Murasakibara let him go.

Aomine didn't pause to look at either of them. Instead, he marched right to the entrance way and walked out, determined to get his muddled thoughts in order by taking a stroll in the beach. Maybe then, he would be able to work why this headache was only getting worse.

* * *

Surprisingly, in a twisted turn of events, he found Kagami in a street basketball court nearby the beach he was going to. At first glance, it looked like Kagami was getting ready to do a drive, really to quickly pass his invisible opponents. However, at the last second, the red-head stopped, his legs frozen in place and he winced.

Aomine walked a bit closer to see that Kagami was holding onto one of his calves, biting his lip as if to block out a groan of pain.

 _"Come on, Taiga, you can do this."_ Kagami muttered to himself in English and Aomine's eye twitched. He was Japanese; wasn't he supposed to think and mutter in Japanese?

Aomine was a horrible person. He knew it so well himself, but Midorima had made it painful obvious both yesterday and today. If anything, he outlined everything that Aomine was storing in his mind as a means of procrastination. He was such a horrible person that he strode right up to Kagami, who was now sitting in the middle of the court with his head hung low, and hit him hard on the back.

The red-head jumped from the sudden contact. It didn't necessarily hurt because he had gone through worse pains, but it still shocked him enough to become a bit disoriented.

"Yo." Aomine introduced with a smug grin on his face. Kagami's eyes immediately narrowed at the sight of him.

"What are you doing here?" He asked in a guarded expression.

Aomine shrugged casually. "Can't a guy walk around the area? I _am_ here for vacation, you know?"

Kagami couldn't help but laugh sarcastically. "Vacation? Yeah, if you consider forcefully taking a friend away vacation."

Aomine narrowed his eyes. "Tetsu's supposed to be with us, in Japan."

"He was never yours to take in the first place. You can't just take him, thinking that he'll just agree with you and frolic away. He likes it here."

"You don't know that."

"I do. I'm with him pretty much every day. We're best friends."

Aomine's fists clenched. " _We_ are. You're not in the picture."

"Last time I checked, I was and you were still in Japan." Kagami said with a bored expression. It was more than enough to rile the tanned man, however, especially considering how casual Kagami made it sound, and he grabbed the red-head by the helm of his shirt. Kagami didn't budge from the ground but he did lift his head to meet Aomine's blue eyes.

"I'm taking him back." Aomine declared.

Kagami grimaced in annoyance. "You don't get to decide that. It's Tetsu's choice to make."

"You don't get to call him that!" Aomine roared, his anger fully exploding. All the stress he had, all the anger he felt, everything negative that had been stacking up inside him since middle school burst open and overflowed. He punched Kagami in the face at full force, wanting to damage everything about the red-head in front of him, to let him know how much he hated him.

To Aomine's disappointment, Kagami didn't fly away like he expected him, like in his imagination. Instead, he turned his head around to face Aomine again and spit right next to him.

"I can call my best friend whatever I want. You don't have the right to order me around." Kagami said with a glare. His cheek started turning red but it looked like Kagami didn't feel it, and if he did, he didn't show it.

Aomine's patience was reaching its end. He was truly losing his mind. His headache was growing bigger and heavier, and it felt like boulders were crashing down on him.

"You think you're the shit, don't you?" Aomine began. "Just because you won against two of the Generation of Miracles, you think you can beat every one of us, don't you?"

Kagami's eyebrow raised subtly. "I thought that was obvious. We're definitely going to beat you, no matter what."

Aomine smiled, and for some reason, it sent shivers down Kagami's spine. "Then, have a match with me. A one-on-one. I'll show you just how much you lack compared to me."

With the way Aomine was looking at him, as if he were a weakling, Kagami couldn't back down. His legs were still stinging, but even then, he proudly stood up against the tanned man. He was a bit shorter than him but a lot bulkier, letting Aomine know that he wasn't one to back down from any fight.

Aomine smiled once more, his provocation as simple and easy as counting to ten, and he got ready to crush the spirit that Kagami was practically born with.

* * *

A complete, overwhelming loss for the red-head. Kagami fell down in exhaustion, his breath jagged and his legs barely able to move. Aomine stood in front of him, making him look like a giant. Or for a better word, like a monster. The score was 10 to 0, a score Kagami could have never predicted.

He had never felt more useless before in his life. There he was, ready to beat the hell out of the navy-haired man, show him a lessons or two, and maybe finally convince that Kuroko was never his to take. He was ready to be merciless for the sake of his best friend, even if it meant destroying the strength left in his legs. He was ready to win.

But then, Aomine moved forward, and everything else became a complete and utter blow. For no longer than three minutes, Kagami had been completely overwhelmed. Aomine was everywhere and nowhere, the basketball appearing and disappearing right before his eyes. Before he knew it, the swish of the net had all gone to Aomine and Kagami, no matter how hard he tried, couldn't, for the sake of his life, keep up.

Regret filled Kagami's stomach as he realized he couldn't move his legs. Why did he fall for such a cheap provocation? Hadn't he promised his friends that he would take it easy, not to burden his legs and make them worry even more? Hadn't he looked straight into Kuroko's eyes and gave him his word that he would be careful? Why had he done it? Why did he fall for Aomine's trick?

"And you call yourself strong?" Aomine mocked with the basketball tucked by his side.

"One more." Kagami huffed unintentionally, the words were practically falling out the moment he opened his mouth, but as he tried to stand up again, his legs gave out on him, leaving him on his knees, groveling.

"Did you really beat Midorima? He's lost his touch." Aomine continued.

"Bastard…"

"Without Tetsu, you're weak. You can't do anything without getting support for him. It's one of the reasons why you can never beat me. Did you never realize that?"

"Realize what?" Kagami growled, still struggling greatly to get to his feet and at least pretend that his legs were fine.

"Tetsu always was and always will be a shadow. He chose me as his partner back in middle school because he could shine in the dark while I shined at front. With you, he can't possibly have that opportunity. You're weak. Your light is too dim."

"You —"

 _"There he is! Goddamn it, he just won't listen to us! Tiger!"_ A voice rang and the people inside the court turned their heads to see Kuroko and Eddy running over here. Kagami's eyes widened, now obviously trying his hardest to stand up and show them that he didn't overexert himself again. But the two came too early and Kagami was forced to fall down to the ground once more.

"Kagami-kun, are you ok?" Kuroko asked, completely ignoring the other teen, and Kagami lowered his head enough so that no one could see his pained expression.

"I'm fine. I just… need to rest for a bit. That's all." Kagami said with a forced cheerful tone but it was obvious that no one, not even Eddy who didn't even understand what the red-head just said, believed that.

 _"What happened? Tiger, we told you that you needed to rest!"_ Eddy reprimanded.

 _"How did you know I was here?"_ Kagami asked as he lifted his head slightly. Eddy gave him a disapproving look.

_"We went to check up on you when your dad told us that you were visiting my house."_

_"Fuck."_ Kagami muttered under his breath and Eddy crossed his arms in anger.

_"I knew you'd be at the basketball court because you're a basketball idiot. You look even worse than you did yesterday. Shin even told you to rest!"_

Kagami said nothing, avoiding Eddy's gaze.

Kuroko sighed. _"For the moment, we should get him to a hospital to check his condition."_ Eddy agreed and began to hoist Kagami up.

Kagami unwillingly complied and the two left, Kagami limping awkwardly while Eddy did his best to make his friend more comfortable.

Before they could completely leave, however, Kagami looked back to see Aomine's grin, as if he was proud of making Kagami's state like this.

"I'll make you pay, bastard." Kagami declared and with the help of Eddy, the hobbled their way to the nearest taxi stop.

Aomine stood there, hands to his hips and smiling egotistically. Having that basketball match didn't lessen the pain in his head but it was enough to relieve some of the stress. He was a bit disappointed that he couldn't burn out Kagami's passion for basketball, but leaving him disabled was a bit of a thrill for him, no matter how horrible that sounded.

Then, the realization dawned on him that he wasn't alone. He looked to his side and saw Kuroko standing stiff next to him. His face was molded into a poker face but Aomine knew better. Inside, the teal-haired man was fuming.

"Tetsu, I —" Aomine started to say, trying to dispel the awkward atmosphere between them, but his sentence was cut off by Kuroko's sharp voice.

"Are you satisfied, Aomine-kun?"

Aomine was taken back. It wasn't so much what he said that shocked him, but more so his tone of voice. Aomine had never heard that kind of voice from him before.

"What? Tetsu, I just —"

"Kagami-kun would have never done such a harmful thing to himself, not after the conversation we had yesterday. He never would have done such a reckless thing if someone hadn't provoked him. You, of all people, should have known that he was injured. You should have seen from the moment he walked that he was hurt. Why did you do it? What made you so angry that you just had to hurt my friend?"

"He's not your friend! We are!" Aomine shouted in hurt, a pain in his chest gradually turning worse. He didn't even want to talk about the headache.

"You are not." Kuroko disclosed coldly. It felt like Aomine was falling.

"Tetsu…"

"I cannot consider you a friend if you intentionally hurt others."

"We've practically been doing that since middle school! Why are you are getting so angry now?" Aomine screamed in a heap of furor, but not even a second later, his blood turned cold as he realized his mistake.

"Then you understand why I refuse to go with you all."

Aomine's eyes widened as the final blow led him to take a few steps back and trip on his own feet. Kuroko did nothing as Aomine fell to the ground, and the tanned man shook his head to rid himself of the shock. He lifted his head, met Kuroko's cold, glacier-like eyes, and couldn't help but look away. Aomine was shivering inside.

"Please await the match, Aomine-kun. We will win." Kuroko finished, his voice devoid of any emotion except hatred and animosity, and he left Aomine alone on the ground, refusing to even look at him. A few seconds passed after Kuroko's dismissal that Aomine finally found the strength to stand up. Immediately after, his head took a turn for the worse, making his eyesight blur and his stance shift unstably.

 _"Are you ok?"_ A man he didn't know, who was shorter and less bulkier than him, asked in worry. Aomine merely pushed him away weakly, walking a few steps before stopping and leaning onto the fence that surrounded the court.

_"I can take you to the hospital. You don't look so hot."_

"I don't know what you're saying. Fuck off." Aomine growled but was in such a soft voice that the man didn't understand, not that he would either way since Aomine said it in Japanese.

_"Come on, the taxi stop is just around the corner. I'll take you there."_

_"I said fuck off!"_ Aomine finally roared, his voice shaking but still strong. The man took a step back, examining him and sauntering to the other direction with a disgusted look on his face.

 _"Fucking bastard."_ Aomine heard the stranger muttering, but he didn't care. This was who he was, anyways. He knew that from the very start. There was no way that would ever change.

This pain in his head, the agonizing burn that continued to maul at his heart was too much for him to handle. He stumbled on his own feet and almost fell to the ground had it not been for his hand supported on the fence.

He took a few minutes there, taking deep breaths to try to calm himself down. On and on, Kuroko's words drowned him, and it felt like this entire trip had been a lie. He had come here without a complaint because he had a purpose. He was motivated enough to follow Akashi's orders because he wanted his friend back. But to hear that he wasn't even considered a friend anymore? Then why was he still here? Why was he going through so much pain if his only purpose was crushed right in front of his eyes?

Aomine grew angry. He wasn't satisfied anymore with just hurting Kagami's pride. He wanted to do the same to all of Kuroko's friends. He wanted to prove to Kuroko that they were the only friends he had; that, without them, he would a nobody.

"The match. I'll beat them to the ground in the match." Aomine mumbled as his hand that had been gripping the fence let go and he began walking again.

When he arrived, Midorima and Kise were waiting for him.

"Aominecchi, what happened?" Kise asked in worry as he saw the evident beads of sweat running down Aomine's forehead.

"Aomine, what did you do?" Midorima instead said in a furious voice. It was as if Midorima could read Aomine's mind. He knew from the moment Aomine entered that he had done a sinful thing.

"I'll beat them to the ground in the match." Was Aomine's only answer before going to his room, locking the door, and sleeping the entire day away.


	8. Chapter 8

_“You’re going to have to be bed-ridden.”_

Kagami’s face, as well as Eddy’s, fell instantly. The African-American started shaking visibly, his eyes wide in disbelief.

_“You’re kidding, right? It can’t be that bad, right?”_ He asked the doctor, who was looking at Kagami with a critical eye. It was the same doctor who had checked up on him a few days ago, and he didn’t take too well with patients who didn’t heed his warnings.

_“Didn’t I tell you not to do any strenuous exercise? If you had just listened to me, this would have never happened. Your condition has grown significantly worse and if you even remotely think about walking, much less running, you can kiss your basketball career goodbye.”_ The doctor replied without a hint of sympathy, though the looks he got from the high schoolers were a bit heart-breaking.

Kagami ruffled his own hair frustratingly. _“You’ve got to be kidding me.”_ He muttered to himself. _“For how long?”_

_“Depending on how well you listen to me, you can start walking after a few days, but you can only start running after two weeks or your legs are as good as gone.”_

_“So I won’t be able to play basketball for two whole weeks?”_ Kagami asked incredulously and the doctor nodded solemnly.

_“Even then, there’s an immense risk that you haven’t fully healed. Honestly, I think it’s best if you wait a month.”_

_“A month?”_ Both Kagami and Eddy shouted, unable to believe what they were hearing. The doctor casted them a side-glance.

_“Of course, with the prescriptions I give you, it might heal a bit faster, but that also depends on your cooperation. Are you going to ignore my warnings like last time?”_

Kagami fidgeted on the hospital bed, hating the fact that the one scenario he was dreading was coming to life, but reluctantly shook his head. _“I never wanted to ignore them, doc. There were some circumstances that came up and I just —”_

_“Excuses, excuses. The fact is that you, as an athlete, are in the critical state. If you want to keep playing basketball or any sport at all, you’re just going to have to pay the price for your own stupidity. You could have easily been healed in a few days but now, you’re here with me in this mess.”_ The doctor’s words were cold and devoid of any sympathy. It was to be expected, really. Kagami should have been more careful with his injuries, and now he was paying the price. Honestly, he was glad the doctor was this blunt about it. At this moment, he didn’t need any false hope.

Kagami sighed, running a hand through his hair. At this point, his blazing red hair, which now looked a bit dull, was in a tangled mess, almost as if he had been through a hurricane. _“So I should stay here for a couple of days?”_

The doctor nodded. _“And after that, you’re discharged but you are absolutely forbidden to run for two weeks._ ” He then sighed as he looked at Kagami’s devastated look. _“Hey, I’m doing my best for you guys. I know the situation you guys are in, and I’m being nice and considerate here. I could have easily told you that you had to wait a month for you to even try to run. I’m even giving you the best medicine out there for a reasonable price. You’re just going to have to sacrifice some of your time, but there’s really nothing to worry about. You just have to cooperate as willingly as you can, and you won’t even notice that two weeks have passed.”_

The doctor smiled compassionately for the first time since the two basketball idiots arrived and Eddy smiled gratefully. _“We know, doc. We know. Thank you for helping us.”_

_“Besides,”_ the doctor began, _“it’s summer vacation, isn’t it? Try doing something other than basketball. You’re high schoolers, aren’t you? Have a little fun.”_

_“Basketball is fun.”_ Kagami mumbled childishly and the doctor flicked him on the head. Kagami jolted in surprise, holding his forehead with more of surprised look than a hurt look on his face. Simultaneously, the doctor himself flew back, holding his flicking hand with a look of bewilderment.

_“What was that for?”_ Kagami asked with an annoyed tone.

The doctor disregarded Kagami’s question and instead asked, _“What are you? Made of rock? t’s like I was hitting a boulder.”_

Eddy laughed. _“Should’ve warned you, doc. Tiger is literally a monster. Nothing hurts him.”_

_“See, now I would agree with you on that, but you_ are _still human. If you weren’t, you wouldn’t be here.”_ The joking atmosphere dissipated and the doctor sighed as he saw the high schoolers’ flickering uncertainty for the future.

_“Tiger, I want you to lie down for the time being. Later on, we’ll move you to a more comfortable bed and let you get the rest you need. I have another patient waiting for me, so I’m going to leave you but I’ll be back soon with your prescriptions. Did you notify your dad yet?”_

Kagami shook his head. _“I haven’t told anyone yet.”_

_“Well, you better do so as soon as possible. I’m going to have to talk to your dad about hospital arrangements so it’s best if he visits the hospital.”_

Kagami shook his head once more. _“By the time I talk to him, he’ll probably be on another plane for a business trip.”_

_“Another one? But I just saw him.”_ Eddy asked skeptically and Kagami shrugged.

_“He’s a busy man. I’m sure he was just about to leave when you showed up with Tetsu.”_

_“Ah, now that I think about it, he did have some luggage behind him.”_ Eddy commented.

_“I’m still going to have to talk to legal guardian, Tiger. Is there anyone else I can talk to who’s of adult age?”_ The doctor asked worriedly.

Kagami nodded. _“I do. She’s not blood-related but she’s been taking care of me since I was a kid.”_

_“Given your situation, it’s acceptable enough. I’m going to need their name, phone number, and home address. Write it down on a piece of paper and I’ll be right back.”_ The doctor said before leaving the room and Eddy sat on the bed next to the red head.

_“Who do you have in mind that can be your guardian?”_ Eddy asked and Kagami took out his phone.

_“Alex.”_ Kagami answered as he began to text her about the situation. She soon replied, saying that she would have to visit tomorrow due to some familial circumstances on her part, but that it was ok to put her as a legal guardian. She also didn’t fail to mention how she was going to murder him tomorrow.

_“The blond who’s been teaching you and Tat basketball since you guys were little?”_

_“Yup.”_

_“Yeah, she seems like a good guardian. She might just kill you, though.”_

Kagami messed up his hair _again.”She already said that.”_ He showed Eddy her response and the African-American gave him a concerned look.

_“Good luck with that, man.”_

_“Right now, that’ is the least of my problems. If anything, she’s not who I’m worrying about right now.”_

_“Who could be scarier than your basketball coa— Oh.”_ Eddy cut his own sentence off when he realized who the red head was referring to.

_“I really don’t want to tell him.”_ Kagami said in despair and Eddy could understand his feelings completely.

_“He’s going to kill you if you don’t tell him as soon as possible. What if he finds out that you were keeping this a secret?”_ The African-American pointed out.

_“He’s going to kill me either way.”_

_“I know, but I would personally choose the one where his anger is the least.”_ Eddy had a good argument. It was the matter of choosing the lesser of two evils.

But Kagami was tired. He was tired and angry and most of all, so guilty. He would be inactive for two whole weeks. In those two weeks, he could have easily improved his basketball skills, enough to match and maybe even overpass Aomine’s talent. He could have done so many things, but the fact was that he wouldn’t even be able to participate in the match anymore. Instead, he would let his friends, his entire team, down.

And, though he didn’t want to admit it, Aomine’s words pulled him down. He _was_ weak. He was so weak that he couldn’t even keep his head high and ended up falling for such a stupid, childish trick. He was too immature, too inexperienced. Confronting his weaknesses now was another blow to his pride, which was now falling apart.

Maybe this was his punishment for having such a blown up pride. Now, it was barely even able to walk, just like himself.

_“I’ll tell him tomorrow.”_ Kagami decided and Eddy looked at him with worry.

_“Are you sure? He’s going to be more pissed if you delay it.”_

_“I know but I don’t think I have the strength to properly explain it to him right now. I’m really tired.”_ Kagami said softly and Eddy grew extremely concerned. It wasn’t every day that the strongly standing prideful tiger become like this. He began to wonder just what happened in the court with the tanned Japanese before Eddy and Kuroko intervened.

_“Ok, dude. I’ll respect your decision. I’ll visit you tomorrow as well and we can both try to explain the situation to TK.”_

_“Thanks. I’ll see you tomorrow.”_ Kagami waved as Eddy left the room. When Kagami knew he was alone and there was no one to hear him from the other side, he punched the wall with so much force, his knuckles started to bleed, and he bleakly let out a silent scream in agony.

The next day, Kagami called Kuroko to the hospital, tried his best to calmly tell him the situation, told him how much time he would be bed-ridden, how much time it would take for him to completely heal, and the result ended with Kuroko’s face twisting into an expression none of the two had ever seen before in the time of their friendship. 

Kagami expected a punch, or at least a lecture from the teal-haired man. Instead, said person fled the hospital without so much of a goodbye. Seeing Kuroko’s poker face shed into one of complete and utter anger was something that only Eddy and Kagami saw, and both compromised that they would do their best to never see it again.

* * *

“Please give us an extension.”

The Generation of Miracles all stood in shock as Kuroko Tetsuya, teal-haired ghost extraordinaire, was groveling in front of them, head bowed and voice trembling.

Kise had first been joyful when he got the message from Kuroko, asking where the summer house was. Kise didn’t have much qualms about it; he was happy that Kuroko was finally taking more interest in the five. But now that they were in this scenario, Kise regretted ever giving Kuroko their directions. Because in front of them, Kuroko was smaller than ever; so fragile and weak-looking that Kise wanted nothing more than to turn away.

Akashi stood right in the middle, right in front of Kuroko, with everyone else panning out to creating a half-circle around Kuroko. The red-head had his arms crossed smugly, the glint in his eye menacing, almost as if he wanted crush the smaller boy with his foot and establish dominance once and for all. Instead, he held back but made no move in making Kuroko stand up again.

“And why in the world do we have to do that?” Akashi asked slowly, tauntingly, and Kuroko lifted his head slightly to meet the eyes of the five prodigies. Kise and Midorima immediately looked away because they knew how much pain it would put them through if Kuroko’s eyes ever pierced through them. His fierce, blue eyes was already stinging their backs.

Aomine, on the other hand, knew exactly what was going on. In fact, it seemed like Kuroko’s gaze was directed right at him, which made him feel so many conflicting emotions. He felt angry, but guilty, saddened but infuriated. He didn’t know where to begin with his emotions and the headache that he had been harboring just got worse. He met Kuroko’s eyes and saw in surprise how easily he could read them. Many people agree that the eyes are the mirror of the soul but Aomine could never read Kuroko’s when they were in middle school. Now that he could, he hated it so much.

It was almost as if Kuroko was begging him to realize his faults.

“Please.” Kuroko said, bowing his head once more. “Kagami-kun has been in an accident and he needs recovery time before he can fully play basketball again. We cannot hold the match a week from now. Please, push it to the end of summer vacation.”

Akashi looked at the teal-haired man with disgust. His golden eye gleamed in a taunting manner, as if he were about to say something that would completely crush Kuroko’s heart. Coming here without so much of a single phone call, Kuroko had no right to suggest such a selfish request. Why in the world did he have to listen to the teal-head if, for the past year, Kuroko had done nothing but ignore them? 

Akashi was close to saying those exact words and Kise and Midorima could see that much, as could Aomine. While the navy-haired prodigy did nothing to stop him, Kise was valiant enough to lay a hand on Akashi’s shoulder.

“Akashicchi, how about we listen to Kurokocchi’s request? If Kagamicchi can’t play, then what’s the match even for?” Kise argued but Midorima gripped Kise’s wrist and pulled him back immediately, knowing what was going to happen. Kise looked at the green-head for a second before looking back at Akashi and stopping in his tracks.

“ _Kagamicchi_?” Akashi echoed. “Since when have you been overly friendly with that fool?” Akashi said, his voice calm but raging. 

Kise gulped. He hadn’t told Akashi about their run-ins with Kuroko’s friends, much less becoming one with Kagami himself “Um, I just—”

“Akashi, that isn’t the main issue.” Midorima cut off, simultaneously saving Kise and diverting the conversation back to the man kneeling in front of them. “The fact is, Kuroko wants to push the match to the end of the summer because Kagami has been injured. I vote that we do it.”

“And why should we do that?” Aomine soon retorted, annoyed that both of them would take Kagami’s side. “It’s not like they were going to win anyways. Just finish it quickly and let’s leave. He was a weak-ass anyways. Goddamn it, raising my expectations when he didn’t even have the talent for it…” Aomine trailed off, his fists clenching at the mere thought of that disappointing one-on-one.

Midorima’s eyes widened. “Wait, what are you talking about?” Kise’s also widened as the two began to match the final puzzle pieces from what happened yesterday.

Aomine bit his lip. “I had a match with the asshole, what of it?”

“Did you know he was injured?” Midorima pried and Aomine shrugged, the answer clear enough not to be said.

The green-head grew enraged. He knew Aomine was a terrible person but he knew that the tanned man would go this far just to prove a point. “You knew Kagami was hurt and yet you still decided to have a match with him? You practically called a match with a disabled person!”

“He should have just fucking taken it.” Aomine shouted back. "What kind of idiot gets hurt with one single match anyways? If you ask me, that fucker was just weak and he deserved to get inju—” Before Aomine could finish his sentence, Kuroko stood up, forgetting why he was here in the first place, and punched him square in the jaw. The sound resonated loudly in the large summer house and everyone, even Akashi, stood there in silence and shock as they tried to process what had just happened.

Kuroko, small, respectful Kuroko just punched Aomine.

Aomine, whose head was turned to the side by the sudden impact, moved back to face an extremely livid Kuroko Tetsuya. The smaller of the two had his fists clenched and one was a bit red. His body was trembling so vividly, and his eyes were on fire as they glared at Aomine. Any angry remark the navy-haired man had for him died down immediately.

“You have no right to say that. Absolutely no right. Aomine-kun, you are a _monster_.” Kuroko disclosed in a voice filled with such rage, it was almost imaginary. Kuroko, who, just a few seconds ago, was groveling with knees on the ground and whose head was lowered all the way down, was now standing as tall as, or even taller than, Aomine. His aura, filled with determination and strength, radiated across the room, making Aomine feel smaller by the second. Kuroko was filled with such fury, animosity, resentment, and sadness that the container filled with all of his bottled emotions was knocked over and anger became the dominant species, taking over Kuroko’s body and soul.

Aomine’s head swiveled. “What did you just call me?” He whispered, unable to believe his ears for the second time since he met the teal-head.

“A monster, Aomine-kun. You are a _monster_. Kagami-kun is not weak. He never once deserved this kind of punishment. Kagami-kun is bedridden for days and cannot even start proper exercise until after two weeks, and that is only if he is lucky and cooperates with what the doctor has prescribed him. Two whole weeks. In that time, he could have been improving his skills, making memories with our friends, and enjoying his high school summer. He could have been happy and free, doing whatever he wanted to in those two weeks. But instead, he will not want to leave his house until he is better, until he is _stronger_. Because Kagami-kun will think this is all his fault and will not be able to face any of us without constantly apologizing. He will constantly be guilt-ridden because of something that wasn’t his fault, and you have the nerve to call him weak and that he deserved it? How can someone be so cruel?”

Kuroko stopped, taking a moment to catch his breath. His face was red from the saddened anger he was letting out because never did he imagine calling anyone, much less a former friend, a monster. That wording itself was too harsh to ever use. But here he was now, pushed to the breaking point. Again.

And he was so tired.

Why were they doing this to him? Why couldn’t he just have a fresh start? All he wanted was a new life, devoid of pain and suffering. The suffering of constantly having to apologize for deeds he never partook in, for deeds that were not his fault, for deeds that those who he once called friends had purposely done to inflict hurt on others. He was so tired of them continually reminding him of what could have been.

He was just so tired.

Kuroko collapsed to the floor, his knees hitting the ground with a silent bang. His fists laid on top of his thighs, clenched and white, and once more, he bowed. He forgot about Aomine, forgot about his own pride, and forgot about his exhaustion as the only thing that kept him going was Kagami’s angelic smile, enough to make the world go round and save anyone from their troubles. It was that particular smile that saved him, and he would protect it at all costs.

“Please, as a former teammate and friend, please move the match to the end of the summer. I beg of you. Please.”

It was so goddamn pitiful. So pitiful to watch such a caring, strong-willed person have to abandon his swelling dignity, solely to give his friend a pathway towards a guilt-free road, to give him another opportunity and prove his worth to keep their friendship bond alive and well.

It was so goddamn pitiful but it also hurt so much. Akashi’s eye was twitching immensely and it was starting to affect his head. The massive pain he was feeling right now reminded him of when they first raided Kuroko’s school, determined to get him back but the plan backfiring in the end. His mind was preoccupied with a battle between two worlds, and the pain in his golden eye wasn’t making it better. 

He was at war with himself. Akashi wanted to crush the smaller boy to the ground so that the only way to go was up with them by his side. But here he was, the ‘smaller’ boy trying to protect his friend’s worth by not only begging but also defending him by disregarding his respectful nature and calling out on one he once thought of as a friend.

He didn’t know which way to go, which path to follow. Would it be one of instantaneous victory or a slow burn due to that infinitesimal moment of sympathy? He was flickering back and forth to what he was and what he willed himself to be, and it was becoming nauseating. He felt torn, and knew he wouldn’t be able to make a clear decision if he were to talk now.

Thankfully, Akashi didn’t have to make the ultimate choice because Kise and Midorima suddenly stepped up.

“I’m sorry Akashicchi but I’m with Kurokocchi on this one. I want this to be fair match, with everyone in top shape and form. I want to play against Kagamicchi when he’s at his best.” Akashi wasn’t that surprised to see Kise side with Kuroko. The blond always did have a soft side for his former mentor.

Midorima pushed his glasses up to not let anyone see what was going on behind his eyes. “It will be extremely boring to play a match if there isn’t at least one good player in the other team. I’ve played against Kagami before and he is that good of a player. I want to play against him again and Kuroko has presented me with the opportunity to do so. I will also choose to push the match date to the end of the summer.” 

Now this was unexpected since it was coming from Midorima. Akashi would have never thought to hear Midorima acknowledge a player, much less a player who had constantly been interfering with their plans to go to Japan as fast as they could. Whenever he saw the green-head, he would always have a sour expression to him, so to hear him side with Kuroko on staying longer was definitely a surprise that Akashi didn’t anticipate. 

This stirred anger inside him, but there were two kinds. He was first angry that he had made wrong predictions on how his former teammates would react to Kuroko’s proposition, and he never should be wrong; it made him realize just how much he didn’t know about them anymore, which infuriated him to no end.

It really did seem like the bonds they had created in middle school were no longer there, and that was justification enough for Kuroko to leave. But Akashi refused to have that and instead ignored the pain in his eyes.

Murasakibara, who was silent throughout the whole ordeal, merely shrugged. “I haven’t checked all the candy stores here. This just gives me more time to do so, which I’m happy about. I don’t really care when the date is, since we’re gonna win anyways, so let’s just go with Kuro-chin’s idea. If anything, I won’t have to rush anymore when looking at all the desserts here.”

Aomine didn’t say anything. It seemed like he was in his world, battling his own demons. His eyes were far away and didn’t look like he would be answering any time soon.

_A monster._ Kuroko had called him a monster. That alone would be enough for anyone to go into a massive shock. And with Aomine, who had once called himself Kuroko’s best friend, the impact would be far worse.

Akashi stayed silent, organizing his messy thoughts. With all that had happened and the amount of stress he had accumulated in such a short amount of time, he involuntarily changed himself and found himself feeling a lot more sympathetic for his friend.

He smiled, though the interpretation of it was vague. “Fine then. We’ll move the date to the end of the summer.”

Upon hearing that, Kuroko visibly brightened, almost forgetting his outburst against Aomine. Kise and Midorima both sighed in relief and Murasakibara even looked a bit happy, though he was always in that state. Aomine was still lost, but no one believed that they could help him get out of it. It was his responsibility, and his alone.

Akashi then crossed his arms and the golden gleam was back. His tyrannic voice took over once more, leaving the atmosphere a lot colder than it was a few seconds before. “I will not be this kind again. Come to this summer house without my permission or come with another one of these extravagant wishes without offering anything equivalent in return and I will not hesitate to kick you out of the house.”

Kuroko bowed ninety degrees towards Akashi and then to the others. “Thank you. Thank you so much.” He kept repeating and it looked like there were tears in his eyes. How uncertain must Kuroko have been in as he came here, begging and pleading? How much distraught must the teal-head have gone through to actually start to cry once the stress was relieved? 

It made a part of Akashi want to give him a hug and tell him it would be ok. But he was not like that. He would never be like that.

Kuroko bid them a goodbye, apologizing for requesting such a selfish demand and once the door shut, the summer house grew quiet once more. Akashi left immediately to his room because the amount of conflict he was feeling inside was borderline painful to deal with. Murasakibara also went out a few minutes after Kuroko’s departure. He got the extension he needed to tour around LA to find the best dessert stands and he wasn’t going to waste it now. Kise and Midorima began to talk to each other in whispers, agreeing to to visit Kagami tomorrow and try to talk to Kuroko today if they could.

And Aomine was dead inside. It seemed like the only thing that kept him going now was his flaming will and stubborn desire to crush Kagami and his team to the ground. Kuroko’s words still haunted him no matter how hard he tried to forget it.

_You are a monster, Aomine-kun._

_How can anyone be so cruel?_

Aomine despaired silently as he wondered where things had started to go astray. Was it because of him? Was it because he had become too selfish with his skills? Was it because he himself didn’t know who he was anymore?

It was too complicated to deal with. It was too much to think about and Aomine would rather not dwell on it at all. So, in the end, he did what he rather did best in his middle school years: throw it away without a second thought.

* * *

Murasakibara didn’t know how to feel about this. Just like how he didn’t know how to feel about Akashi forcing them to fly to LA with him. There wasn’t much thought, really. He just thought the same thing he thought while playing basketball. _How annoying_. Nothing else.

Then he saw the significant impact it had on everyone, even himself. 

Midorima, the cool and collected one, broke down; Kise, the ever bubbly ball of happiness, snapped and lost his facade; Aomine, the only other lazy person in the group that rivaled his own, was now spiraling down a dark hole where he would have to face all his sins, and even Akashi, the emperor, was casting second doubts about this trip he had so boldly faced.

Murasakibara was finding it a bit hard to breathe. It was bad enough that he hated the English language and was now constantly surrounded by it, but now, it was like he was drowning underwater and had no means of escape. He was choking in thin air, not even getting the opportunity to scream. It was like his motor skills were gone and all he wanted to do was to lie down on his bed and never get up.

This was a serious problem. Murasakibara was well known to be the laziest person alive. He would much rather do nothing at all unless he _had_ to do it. This, however, didn’t mean that he didn’t want to go outside every now and then and feel the fresh air in his face. He may be lazy but he wasn’t, by any means, a shut-in. He actually enjoyed going outside and touring around Akita, almost as much as he enjoyed eating. He never considered staying in the house for more than a few days and there would always be an urge inside him to just leave the house when he was sick of it.

But now… Now, it was different. It was as if he was going through a complete personality change. He no longer wished for the outside, nor the wind or the fresh air because everything in LA seemed so wrong. He no longer wished to go out of the house because the outside wouldn’t contain the views he wanted to see, which were those of Japan. He didn’t want to go anywhere anymore, and it was like he could feel his body deteriorate. He needed exercise and a daily dose of the sun, but he didn’t want to do that anymore.

And it scared him more than he would like to admit.

So, as soon as Kuroko left with the unbelievable news that they would now stay until the end of summer, which was about two months away, Murasakibara decided to go against his negative mind and leave the house for the first in a while. The moment the warm wind hit his face, he knew he wouldn’t like it one bit.

He became cranky as he began to search for his one solace in this wretched place: a candy store. Besides, that was the only reason he agreed with Kuroko’s proposal, wasn’t it? He wanted the remaining time to try out different treats that he normally would not get in Japan. That was the only reason why the trip was worth it. 

And he definitely didn’t agree because he felt guilty about abandoning Kuroko in more than one occasion. Definitely not.

* * *

_“I’m sorry, sir. You don’t have enough money to buy all this.”_ The cashier lady said with a shaky voice as Murasakibara looked at her with a glare.

_“I have enough. Count again.”_ He said as fluently as he could and the lady nodded hastily as she began to tally up the change Murasakibara gave her. The giant needed all this candy. He wouldn’t settle for less.

_“I’m terribly sorry, but you really don’t have enough money to buy all of this candy, sir. You will have to take some out.”_

_“But I don’t want to.”_ He declared without much thought and the lady wasn’t sure of what to do. She looked like she was almost about to faint by the intimidating aura that Murasakibara was emitting, and it really didn’t help that he was basically towering over her small, petite body. 

_“Excuse me, how much is he lacking?”_ Someone behind Murasakibara suddenly said and the man stepped aside, walking up to the front of the cashier place with an easy-going smile. He was a very handsome man with a mole below his right eye, the left being covered by his black bangs, and the lady thanked the gods that someone was here to help her.

_“10 dollars, sir.”_

The handsome man chuckled. _“That much?”_ He muttered to himself and took out a 10 dollar bill. The lady took it gratefully and began to pack Murasakibara’s candy.

“That’s a lot of candy you’re buying.” The handsome man commented.

Murasakibara shrugged. “It looked good. I’ve never seen these before.”

“Is that so? I understand if you have a sweet tooth but it would be best if you didn’t intimidate the cashier lady next time. She was only doing her job.”

Murasakibara pouted but understood where the man was coming at. It’s not like he wanted to be daunting; given his height, it was a given that some people would be shorter than he, and all he wanted was some candy. Was that too hard to ask?

The giant then blinked, replaying the conservation he just had. He had talked in Japanese, which was definitely easier and more comfortable for him than English, but was the man…?

As he looked down and saw the handsome man smiling at him with a knowing smirk, Murasakibara pieced two and two together.

“Are you also Japanese?” He asked cautiously and the man laughed while nodding.

“I am. I thought that much was pretty obvious.”

“How did you know I was Japanese, too?”

The man shrugged. “Your accent gave it away. I had a Japanese friend who started off like that as well. Of course, now that he’s lived here for several years, his accent is almost gone, but the accent really gives it away the moment you hear it.”

“… That’s too complicated to think about. And I don’t want to speak that much English. Japanese is so much better.” Murasakibara complained and the man chuckled.

“It must be. How long has it been since you’ve come to LA?”

Murasakibara tapped his chin for a second. “A week, maybe? I don’t really know.”

“Then, compared to how long you’ve been here, your English is very good.” The man complimented and Murasakibara decided that this man was a good person. 

He smiled lazily. “Thanks~”

“My pleasure. My name is Himuro by the way. Himuro Tatsuya. My friends tend to call me Tat for short.” The man introduced.

“Murasakibara Atsushi.” Murasakibara responded back.

“Nice to meet you, Atsushi.” Himuro smiled and Murasakibara blinked once more in slight shock.

“Did you just call me Atsushi?” He asked in confirmation and Himuro realized his mistake.

“Ah, sorry about that. I’ve been living in LA since I was a child, so I don’t really know the Japanese etiquette all too well. I should’ve called you Murasakibara, shouldn’t I have?”

The giant decided that it wasn’t that weird to have someone call him by his given name. And he liked this Himuro person, so he would let it go. “Doesn’t matter. You can call me Atsushi. I’ll call you Muro-chin instead.”

“Muro…?” Himuro echoed and chuckled once more. “You are definitely an interesting person, Atsushi.”

The giant decided to take that as a compliment. “Thanks Muro-chin. You, too.”

_“Um, excuse me.”_ They heard a female voice interrupt from behind. _“Here’s your bag and I’m so sorry, but would you mind stepping aside from the line? The next customer is waiting.”_ The giant turned around to see the shy cashier lady holding a big bag, filled with all the foreign candy Murasakibara had picked. The purple-haired giant brightened as he swiftly took the bag away from her and practically skipped to the exit way. Himuro followed from behind, apologizing to both the lady and the people that were behind them.

As he caught up with Murasakibara, who was already stuffing his mouth with Toblerone, Himuro smiled. “Atsushi, if you’ve been to LA for only a week or so, how about I show you around? I have nothing much to do and it’s been a while since I’ve been out myself.”

Murasakibara thought about it but grew rather pessimistic. He wanted desserts, not a tour around a place he hated. “I don’t like this place. There’s too much English.” He whined and Himuro raised an eyebrow at how childish this two meter giant was. Well, it made things a lot easier for him, then. All he needed to do was hook the baby by his pinky.

“Well, I guess it can’t be helped. I was going to show you this amazing dessert place a few blocks down that has signature dishes only LA has, but if you don’t want to go…”

The slumping giant immediately straightened his back at the word ‘dessert’. He scrutinized Himuro before confirming that he wasn’t lying. He really wanted to go and try out those signature dishes. He was already halfway through his bag but there was always room for more.

“I want to go!” Murasakibara answered quickly, almost like a toddler going to Disney Land, and Himuro laughed, smiling smugly to himself at how easy that was. And just like that, Murasakibara and Himuro went to the dessert place and talked for a few hours, getting to know each other more.

While it did end up being a one-sided conversation for the most part (Murasakibara was always too distracted to answer), Himuro was doing this for his own intentions.

In reality, he knew who this person was, even before meeting him now in person. He had heard everything from his brother Taiga and his friends. How a few days before summer vacation, a group of very colorful Japanese people entered without permission and disrupted several classes, how Taiga and his friend group already had matches with two of these prodigies, how he severely got injured because one of them went too far.

It angered him the first time the news reached him. While he and Taiga were not that close anymore, he still considered the red-head as his little brother due to their childhood friendship, and hearing that someone had purposely injured him made him feel very bitter. Even more so, what really piqued his interest was to see who these basketball prodigies were, and what better way to know them by personally meeting them?

Finding Murasakibara, one of these prodigies, and listening to his middle school past was one scoop after the other. By the time they bid their goodbyes and agreed to meet the next day, Himuro already had information about their names, their looks, and their talents. All he had to do now was relay them.

* * *

“I cannot believe you would hurt yourself this much. How dare you?” Alex, a beautiful blonde woman with a white tank top and black leggings, bellowed as she entered Kagami’s room.  She flung her backpack to the corner of the room and Kagami couldn’t run away from Alex’s death grip and merely choked out an apology.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” Kagami said in panic and Alex sighed, letting go a few seconds afterwards.

“Taiga, what happened? You’re normally not one to do something as stupid as this. You knew you were hurt, weren’t you? Why in the world would you do something so reckless?”

Kagami rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “I’m sorry. Some things just happened and I lost my train of thought.”

“That is no excuse. Any further damage and you would have had to stop basketball completely.” Alex said solemnly and Kagami nodded.

“I know, Alex. I’ll be more careful next time.”

Alex sighed once more as she sat at the edge of the bed. She took Kagami’s hand and placed it on her cheek, as if to assure herself that he was really going to be fine. “God, I’m glad you’re ok, though. I don’t know what I would’ve done if you were in a worse state.”

Kagami looked at her sadly. “I’m sorry for worrying you, Alex.”

“Does Tatsuya know about this?”

“I think so. I think Eddy told him after I told Tetsu.”

Alex perked up at Kuroko’s name. “How’s he taking it?”

“Tetsu?” Kagami asked and bit his lip. “I don’t know. I haven’t heard from him since I told him. I’m really worried because he just left the room with such an angry face, you never would’ve been able to believe that was him.”

“I’m angry too, Taiga.” Alex replied. “I’m angry at the person who would do this to you. I want to go out right now and give him a piece of my mind.”

“Alex, don’t. It was my fault for being too weak.” Kagami said, his voice growing weaker. Alex ruffled his hair and couldn’t help but see Kagami’s past self, when he was still a child, asking Alex with Himuro whether she could teach them basketball.

“Taiga, this is never your fault. Circumstances happened and I’m sure you didn’t mean to injure yourself like this.”

“I still ended up letting everybody down. I won’t even be able to participate in the match anymore with Tetsu. I won’t be able to show those bastards what we’re capable of as a team.” Kagami said as he lowered his head. Alex could tell how much he was suffering right now. She could tell how much guilt he was feeling, and it hurt her so much to see one of her favorite pupils in such pain.

“Honey, I’m so sorry.” She comforted as he she hugged him tightly. “I wish I could call for some kind of miracle, to maybe move the match to a later date, you know?”

Kagami laughed emptily. “Knowing that Akashi person, he won’t ever listen to my request. I don’t think he would even let me in his house.”

“Then maybe I could talk to him.”

Kagami shook his head and pushed Alex away gently. “I don’t want you to get caught up in this as well, Alex. I don’t want you to see how much of a horrible person he is. I just have to hope that the prescriptions the doc gave me are strong enough to let me heal faster. Maybe then, I’ll still be able to play in the match and not let anyone down.”

Alex patted him on the head. “You always did think about other people more than you think about yourself. You know you can be a bit selfish at times, right?”

Kagami shook his head immediately. “Being in this position right now makes me extremely selfish. I’m not able to do anything for my friends and all they’re doing is worrying about me when they shouldn’t. It was my stupid mistake and they shouldn’t feel like they’re responsible. I’m the only one that made everything wrong.”

“Taiga…” Alex couldn’t say much because it physically hurt her to see Kagami so dejected. He was never one to talk badly about himself but when he did, it was for the worst reasons. This incident was not his fault; if anything, it was the person who had provoked him that caused this kind of messed up scenario. She wanted to say more comforting words but she didn’t know what to say to help. All she could do was hug him once more in hopes of letting Kagami know that he wasn’t alone and there would always be people to hear his worries.

As she hugged him, someone began to knock from the other side of the door.

_“Come in.”_ Alex said and the door opened to slowly to reveal no one. Both Kagami and Alex looked at each other in confusion before going into slight panic.

“Please don’t tell me a ghost did all of that.” Kagami said in a slightly higher pitch than his normal voice. Alex didn’t know how to respond; she was shaking with him.

It was not a ghost, Kagami-kun.” A voice suddenly resonated and the two jumped in surprise. Then, they saw Kuroko standing right in front of them and both calmed down significantly.

“Tetsuya, you really need to stop doing that.” Alex commented as she settled back to her seat.

Kuroko merely blinked. “I did nothing.”

“Right.” Alex responded skeptically. “Anyways, we were worried about you. Taiga told me you just suddenly went off after he explained his situation. Where did you go? What did you do?”

Kuroko shrugged, not providing anything clearer. “I talked to Akashi-kun.”

“You did? Why?” Kagami intervened in bewilderment and concern.

“I asked him if he could move the match date and thankfully, he has allowed it. The match is now set for the end of the summer, so Kagami-kun will be able to not only recover but also have time to practice.” He said in such a nonchalant voice that, at first, it was hard for the two other people in the room to believe him. But the news felt like a bomb being dropped in a good way. The room was silent for a second Alex screamed in joy.

“Miracles do happen!” She shouted with a big smile on her face, jumping up and down, and Kagami was close to running to Kuroko to hug him.

“Tetsu, you — How did you — I just —Fuck, I’m too emotional right now. I don’t know how to react to this, Tetsu. I don’t know what to say.” Kagami stuttered, trying his best to form coherent sentences to try to express his utter elation. But it didn’t work because goddamn it, he was too happy right now. He still had a chance, another opportunity to atone for his mistakes. 

He was too happy that, in the heap of the moment, he couldn’t see how exhausted Kuroko was, whose body slumped forward and eyes contained such powerful, raw emotions. It was obvious how much he had gone through to get to this point, but Kagami was being selfish at the wrong time because he couldn’t see how much pain his friend was in.

But Alex saw. Alex saw and she was close to calming Kagami down and let him see what she was seeing. But Kuroko was shrewd and extremely meticulous. She caught Alex’s arm at the last second and she looked at him with confused expression. Kuroko subtly shook his head and Alex bit her tongue.

“Taiga, it’s amazing news.” Alex said in a forced happy tone and Kagami nodded his head enthusiastically, not catching it at all. Alex could then see why Kuroko didn’t want her to tell him. Kagami was ecstatic, so much so that she couldn’t ruin this moment. She understood just how many sacrifices Kuroko was making to make Kagami this happy.

“Hey, I know you’re excited about this but you’re still bed-ridden. You should get some rest, Taiga.” Alex suggested and Kagami’s face turned sour.

“After this news? You’re kidding me, right?” Kagami crossed his arms with a pout and Alex laughed at how stupid he looked. Kuroko himself was smiling a bit.

“Fine, how about, for the time you’re stuck here, you practice your ball-handling skills?”

Kagami raised an eyebrow. “What, why?”

“Because your dominant hand is the right hand and you’re neglecting your left too much.”

“It doesn’t matter whether I use my left hand or not, though.” Kagami replied, a bit puzzled.

“Listen to your coach, Taiga. I’ve been meaning to talk to you about this for a while now, but now is as good a time as ever. The best basketball players are those who know how to use their skills both ways. You want both your hemispheres to be active and the first way to do that is to master handling the basketball with your less-dominant hand. If you can’t stay still, start practicing now.” Alex said wisely and even took out a ball from the bag she had brought in with her. Kagami looked at her in disbelief, then at Kuroko, who was skillfully averting his gaze from him, and sighed.

“Fine. You’re the expert, aren’t you?” Kagami relented and Alex beamed at him in victory.

“I am. Do your best. I have to go out for a moment but I’ll visit you occasionally and help you along the way. Get better soon, ok?”

“You sound just like a mother now. It’s creepy.” Kagami commented in a joking manner and Alex, with a smiling face, went up to him and thunked him on the head with her knuckles. She then bid her student a farewell and left the room.

Kuroko saw the subtle hand gesture she sent him and knew he had to follow.

Kagami began to hold the ball with his left hand, and it was obvious that he felt extremely awkward with it.

“I still don’t really understand why I would need to practice with my left hand.” Kagami grumbled a he tried to land the ball on the top of the hand. Instead, the ball bounced off, making Kuroko fetch for it.

“Thanks, Tetsu.” Kagami said with a grateful smile as the teal-head handed him the ball. He began to fiddle with it again, trying to get the feel of using his left hand.

“I still can’t believe that the match date was moved. I finally have a second chance.” Kagami repeated in a determined voice. “It’s a miracle. It’s so amazing.”

“I am very happy you feel that way, Kagami-kun. I really am.”

Kagami turned to him and Kuroko wanted to cry when he saw the smile that had saved him months ago, when he was at his worst and he didn’t know where to go. “You don’t know how grateful I am to you, Tetsu. Just you wait. I’ll perfect my basketball skills so well that that Aomine bastard won’t even be able to lay a hand on us anymore.”

“I have no doubt that you will, Kagami-kun. You were always one to make all kinds of miracles.”

Kagami chuckled as he ruffled Kuroko’s hair. “Don’t you dare sell yourself short, Kuroko. You yourself have a knack of making miracles. I really don’t know how to thank you for doing this. You really saved me this time.” He glanced at Kuroko timidly and gave him a smaller smile. “Be honest with me, it wasn’t easy convincing them, was it?”

Kuroko was taken aback at Kagami’s words. He took a few steps back from him unconsciously because he was honestly so stunned by those words. The red head was still looking at him but his piercing red eyes were searching hard for answers. Kuroko was too tired to mask his emotions and put on his regular poker face, so the only thing he could do was avoid his gaze.

“Come on, Tetsu. I may be stupid but I’m not _that_ stupid. I’ve faced all of them at least once. I know how they can be. And with that psycho Akashi being the leader of the group, I can’t imagine how hard it must have been for you to try and persuade them to move it just for my sake. Tell me, what did you do to get them to listen to you?” He pleaded and Kuroko could never run away from those eyes.

“Kagami-kun, I—” Kuroko started to say, gripping his arm so strongly it was almost like he was going to the rip the skin off, when the door suddenly opened and Alex barged in.

“Hey Tetsuya, I’m going to have to borrow you for a second. Taiga, keep practicing! I won’t have you mess around while you’re bed-ridden.” She criticized immediately and Kagami, who was still trying to regain his breath for the sudden intrusion, nodded without thinking about it.

“I got it, I got it.” He then passed off as he began to hold the ball with his left hand again.

Alex looked at Kuroko in the eye, nudging him to come out, and Kuroko quickly left the room, grateful for the woman. Kagami’s eyes lingered after him, obviously knowing what the two were going to talk about. In the end, it was Kuroko’s choice whether he wanted to tell Kagami or not about what happened. And though he was curious out of his mind, he would respect his best friend’s decision.

When the two got out of Kagami’s room, Alex crossed her arms. “So, how bad was it? What did you do to make them change the date?”

Kuroko didn’t want to relive it again. “I would rather not say.”

“That bad?” She asked with immense worry. She then hugged him tightly, almost cutting off his breathing. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that alone.”

“I didn’t think Kagami-kun would catch on so early. I was shocked, to say the least.”

“He’s not the uncaring type Tetsuya, you know that. When he worries about his friends, he really worries about them. And it especially goes to you, too. Hearing what everyone’s been saying about these five Japanese prodigies and how they’ve been treating the people here, I have to go with Taiga on this one. I can’t imagine how hard it must have been for you to try and convince them. You truly invoked a miracle, and I don’t think Taiga is ever going to forget that.”

Kuroko couldn’t help but smile sadly. “I just did what I thought was right.”

Alex couldn’t fathom this boy’s modesty and humility. He was everything that was right with the world. On instinct, she hugged him again. “How on Earth did we become blessed with a person like you?”

“I am not a great person, Alex. I have committed various sins in my past that I don’t think I can ever atone for.”

“I don’t believe you for a second, Tetsuya. You are one of the best people I’ve ever met.” She retorted back immediately and while Kuroko said nothing in return, he never did heed her words. He was still sitting alone in his black area, apologizing for everything wrong that happened in his life.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AKA the chapter that made me start this story in the first place (AKA the chapter in which Aomine becomes bewitched by Kagami's mad surfing skills)

 

How would you describe the feeling of drowning?

Or was suffocating the better word?

How would you describe the feeling of being restricted?

Of not having control?

How would you describe the feeling of losing one's mind?

Because Akashi was there.

He was there, losing his mind.

His mind like quicksand that was constantly pulling him down.

Drowning him. Suffocating him.

Restricting him.

So he struggled.

Screamed and cried for help.

He cried.

But his voice was shut down.

His face contorted as his body refused to respond.

He cried for help.

But no one was there to help.

Because who could help a man who didn't want it?

More accurately, who could help a man who did not portray that he needed it?

But he did.

He sorely did.

Because there was force that was pulling into the quicksand even faster now and no matter how hard he struggled, no matter how hard he cried, he couldn't break free.

He was losing.

And he felt so scared.

Scared because the sand was up to his neck now.

Scared because it was gripping him so hard.

Scared because he might die.

He didn't want to die.

He didn't want to disappear.

He didn't want to lose.

So he screamed once more.

He cried for help once more.

 _"Please. I beg of you. Please."_ A voice then rang out.

It pleaded and was close to crying, just like him at this very moment.

It sounded like it needed help, like he did.

It sounded like it was from a very old friend, one whom he had once cherished.

He saw with limited vision his friend, his very good friend, kneeling before the stranger with his face about to cry, losing any pride and dignity he had left.

 _No. Stand. Do not kneel before me. I do not deserve it._ He silently begged.

_Stand. For the love of God, please just stand._

And to get his cherished friend to stand, he struggled to break free.

He clawed and kicked.

He fought against the force that was trying to make him disappear.

And slowly, ever so slowly, he made his way up.

Up, up and away.

There was light.

A beautiful blue light that grew whiter the closer he got to it.

He was almost there.

 _Stand, old friend. Stand and be beside me again_.

 _"We'll move the date to the end of the summer."_ He heard himself say.

It was the least he could do after everything the stranger with his face had done to his old, cherished friend.

He smiled.

He was almost there.

But the wind was knocked against him.

He was dragged back and trapped in the quicksand.

He was too weak to pull free this time.

His face contorted and his body couldn't respond.

He cried for help.

And this time, he got a response.

A loud slam coming the door, and a scream of indescribable agony.

The stranger with his face unwillingly replied back to his cries with a rasping scream, ordering him to stop.

 _Ah,_ he realized, _so I'm causing him pain_.

If that was the case, then he wanted to give more.

He would do anything to escape.

This quicksand.

This feeling of being scared.

This jailed body.

He wanted to be free.

He wanted to be him again.

* * *

Slowly, ever so slowly, Kagami began to heal.

The first few days were hell for him because it truly highlighted how stupid he had been. As he looked outside the window to see the beautiful glistening beach just a few feet from him, seeing mounds of people present, all whom were probably having the time of their lives, he wanted nothing more than to escape.

His body jittered every time but someone would always be there watching him with a critical eye. Sometimes it would be a nurse, other times Alex, but mostly, it was Kuroko who quietly guarded the door and glared at Kagami if he so much moved his legs.

Kagami always hated it when Kuroko visited him. He could persuade the others to at least let him go out by wheelchair and catch some fresh air, move his legs just a little bit when they weren't looking. But Kuroko was relentless. There was nothing the injured man could do to move him. That and seeing Kuroko staring at him with those unreadable eyes further deepened his guilt.

The first few days, Kagami was so frustrated. Even when he practiced using the ball with his left hand just as Alex had instructed, he still felt useless. There were so many things he could have done if he were outside in the court, playing basketball with his friends and improving his own skills. He and the others could have gone to the beach and have had their signature non-alcoholic margaritas as they went through their infinite inside jokes. They could have gone surfing and unknowingly swooned all the ladies. They could have gone and done so many things.

 _He_ could have done so many things in these first few days but instead, he was here, in the hospital room that embodied his own immaturity and failure.

So, in these first few days, he was in hell.

But, time wasn't so cruel as to let Kagami be in this state forever. Slowly, it got better. Some of the best doctors came his way and helped him through fast rehabilitation. Grabbing onto the metal rods that stretched through the whole room, Kagami constantly struggled to walk with his healing legs.

The first few times, he clumsily fell, his knees hitting the ground with a loud bang. But Kagami was never one to give up. With every try and every fall, he walked even further, and by the second week, he could go from one hallway to the other without any help. It even amazed the doctors that his recovery was so quick. His legs, which had constantly been shaking, no longer had that trace and instead stood strong.

His main doctor still warned him that he couldn't run until the end of the month, and while Kagami grumbled at the news, he was still extremely thankful that he was able to heal in such short time. He knew now that the doctor's words were not to be taken lightly anymore. Kagami thanked him with all his might and exited the hospital.

Kuroko was just about to leave with him when the doctor grabbed him by the arm.

 _"Doctor?"_ Kuroko questioned but felt dread pooling his gut.

 _"You_ do _realize that his recovery is a temporary thing, right?"_ The doctor said solemnly.

_"What do you mean?"_

_"There's only so much help the medicine can do. His state was terrible when he first came here. He may have recovered now, but there's no muscle that can fully heal from damage. Do you get what I mean?"_

Kuroko began to tremble. _"No."_

_"It means that if overexerts himself one more time, then he can kiss basketball goodbye."_

Kuroko's eyes widened. _"But, he's walking just fine now. And he's going to keep practicing until the match."_

_"I know he is, which is why I'm asking you to look over him. It's fine now because I've warned him to rest a bit longer, but if he hurts his legs one more time, then it's going to be almost impossible to recover fully. Even this recovery isn't full-proof."_

_"How will I know if he's going to overexert himself? I can't stop him from practicing, doctor."_

_"As long as he rests, it should be fine. I'm trusting you, ok?"_ The doctor commented before patting Kuroko on the shoulder and leaving.

The feeling of dread didn't leave Kuroko as he walked out and was greeted by the red head.

"What took you so long?" He asked and Kuroko merely shook his head.

"The doctor has given me the responsibility of looking over you."

"I'm not that unreliable, am I?" Kagami commented in fake hurt. "But I get you. I'll be careful, and if I go past my limit, you'll stop me, right?"

Kuroko nodded confidently. "I will."

Kagami smiled as he ruffled Kuroko's hair. "Are you ready?" He then asked with a huge smile and Kuroko immediately knew what he was referring to.

With a small smile of his own, Kuroko walked with Kagami to the closest basketball court to begin practice. Just as Kagami had been practicing with his left hand every day, Kuroko was also developing a special skill that could potentially help them win the match that would drastically change his fate.

And soon enough, as the month ended, Kagami was up and running. There was some muscle mass that he had lost from the lack of exercise, but he quickly made up for it by constantly going out every day, playing basketball from dawn to dusk. It was amazing how much dedication he had for this one match, but for Kagami, it was so much more than that now.

He had not only been trampled on with his dignity dropping as low as it possibly could. He also had a friend to protect at all costs, a friend who had gone through lengths to change the date just for him. Judging by the way Kuroko would always avoid answering Kagami's question of how the blue-haired an was able to change the date of the match, even he knew how bad it must have been. Hell, he had experience with every one of the Generation of Miracles at least once to know that they were not good people.

He knew Kuroko did something terrible for his sake. And he knew that it was his fault.

So what else but to repay the debt by winning the match and letting him stay?

One by one, the rest of the group joined in on Kagami's extensive regimen. With Alex as support and guidance, the others soon gained pointers that would potentially strengthen their team and individual skills.

Felix, for example, had the eyes of a hawk. Maybe it was due to his height or maybe because he had spent most of childhood looking over Ben and distinguishing his movements and facial expressions, but when it came to eyes, he was like none other. He had so much visual talent that Alex began to teach him how to open his view of the court and make sure to not have any blind spots, if any.

Sebastian was as good a center as anyone could be. He had a wrestling background when he was young but had stopped due to a childhood incident that had traumatized him. Then, when he entered middle school and met Eddy, who was a basketball fanatic, he grew to love this sport instead and, by using some wrestling techniques he had learnt in the past, he could defend like no other. No one was getting near him without having the ball getting knocked over. He also had very flexible wrists, something that Alex noted and showed him detailedly how to grip the ball and never miss.

Ben was small but could throw a mean three-pointer when he was completely focused in the game. He always had a good sense of throw from the many experiences he had chucking paper balls at the people he hated, and now, he was putting that into good use in basketball. Alex showed him how to get into the game quicker and make sure his defense was as good as his offense. Soon, no opponent would be able to touch him while making three pointers.

Eddy was an all-rounder, but for the sake of the game and the teammates that would play, he would have to take the role of the small forward, which was completely fine with him. He never had a specific goal in mind. Ever since he was a boy, he would always switch hobbies and favorites. He had started off with swimming but hated the way the water made him feel. He tried soccer but was too tired of running around aimlessly when the ball would never come to him. He even tried tennis but the ratchet was too big and heavy for him to grab. But then he found basketball in middle school and he was already hooked. His athletic background accounted for his flexible talent, and that did not go unnoticed. Alex but that into good use as she showed him basic but highly effective techniques that would improve his overall ability.

And Kagami was on a roll. It seemed like, with every breath, he was getting stronger. There was even a bright red aura building around him that everyone, even the most oblivious ones, could see. Kuroko looked in the sidelines, surprised but happy because that would just make Kagami's shadow grow bigger. Kagami's left hand skill improved magnificently and could now battle in the air far better than anyone could have ever imagined. For that reason, and the fact that Kagami was too fired up to not learn anything new, Alex decided to teach one of the ultimate killer moves of all time.

"The meteor jam." Alex introduced and everyone looked with wide eyes as she gave them an example. Kagami would have to learn this and perfect it by the time the match happened, which was only a month, maybe a few weeks, away.

Kuroko stayed in the shadows and did his best to perfect his own skill. Two, in fact, because their team, no matter how strong they were, would need every help they could get against the Generation of Miracles. No one knew of it except for Alex, who helped him bit by bit to alter what had to be altered. But once he was sure that it was unbeatable, he would show everyone what he had accomplished.

The final line up would be as such: Kagami, Felix, Sebastian, Ben, Eddy, and Kuroko would serve as their sixth man. Kagami had even asked (pleaded) Himuro to help them out as a substitute player if something were to happen. He agreed, but only if after the MiraGen match, they would have their own and settle their brother rivalry once and for all. Kagami didn't want it, but for the sake of Kuroko, he had to make his own sacrifices, even if that meant that he would lose Himuro as a brother.

Kagami couldn't waste another second because he had already lost so much time. He would become better with every passing day, and he would avenge his best friend soon.

* * *

Of course, it was still summer, and because they were in LA, there would always be moments in which the heat would be too much to bear to play only basketball. Sometimes, high school kids still had to be high school kids and not be in a situation of life or death.

Sometimes, they just had to take advantage of the setting they were in and have a little fun.

Eddy was the one who first proposed it.

 _"I'm dying. I think I'm actually dying."_ He cried out as he laid flat on the court, his chest heaving. The others were pretty much in the same position, all drenched in sweat from the unbearable heat. Today was especially sunny. Kagami stood but it looked like even he was at his limit.

 _"I can't keep this up. I think I'm going to get heatstroke if we keep going."_ Sebastian so helpfully provided. The others, who would normally label him as dramatic, nodded in agreement.

 _"One more round?"_ Kagami asked hopefully but everyone gave him the stink eye. Even Kuroko jabbed him by the side, which made Kagami jump, more in shock than pain.

 _"No. I refuse. I'd rather die than have one more basketball match with the weird combo duo. I absolutely refuse."_ Ben commented, and Kagami sighed in resign as he ran his hand through his sweaty hair. Beads of sweat that had accumulated in his hair fell down to the ground, which evaporated in mere seconds.

 _"Ok, so obviously we're not in the position to play more basketball. What do you guys want to do then? It's only one in the afternoon and I don't want to go back home."_ Kagami grumbled and Eddy, who was unmoving for the longest time, suddenly stood up, surprising everyone else, and had a mischievous smile on his face.

 _"I mean, we_ are _in LA, aren't we?"_ He started and everyone gestured him to continue. _"And it_ is _summer vacation, right?"_

 _"Will you stop with the goddamn riddles and get on with it? It's too hot outside to think."_ Ben lashed out.

Eddy opened his arms as wide as he could. _"The beach! We have the goddamn beach literally a few miles away from us! Let's stop basketball and have a little fun in the water!"_

It was a cathartic suggestion, especially in a summer heat like this one. Even Kagami lightened up at the mere thought of being in the cool, sparkling water. So, without another second to spare, the six friends rushed to the nearest beach and quickly rented out surfboards and swimming trunks.

They all flung themselves into the water, the splashing sound echoing throughout the rest of the area, and with no other thought, they began to have the time of their lives. Eddy took a second to get in, texting some very familiar people to no one else's knowledge, and quickly forgot about it as soon as he launched himself like a bomb in between Ben and Felix, who were currently in a splash war with the rest.

* * *

"Midorimacchi, are you coming or not?" Kise called out as he finished packing up his things in his gigantic beach bag. Midorima grimaced as he walked towards the blond, looking like he didn't want to be there but was all ready to go. They were wearing their swim trunks that they had bought a few days before and a large t-shirt to hide their upper half. Kise looked like he was ready for a photoshoot, like always, but the bag he was holding ruined the entire image.

"Exactly what are you taking? They just asked us if we wanted to meet them at the beach." Midorima pointed out and Kise brightened.

"Exactly. Since we're going to the beach, I'm just taking everything I need."

Midorima raised an eyebrow. "And that requires a bag three times the size of your head?"

"Look, I have a lot things to do so that I'm still as glamorous in the sun as I am normally. It's not my fault that we models have a strict regimen to stick to, and that also includes having perfectly snowy white skin. I can't tan, Midorimacchi. So I specifically packed three packs of sunscreen, a big towel for me to not come in contact with the sand, which could potentially wrinkle my legs, and an umbrella."

"An umbrella?" Midorima asked incredulously, and Kise nodded, taking out a very colorful umbrella from his bag.

"It's retractable." Kise added, as if that explained everything that was wrong with the picture.

Midorima wondered if he was ever going to survive this. Why did he agree to go with Kise in the first place? The invite had only gone to the blond, courtesy of Eddy, but it _did_ say that he was free to bring _"Shin"_ , so Kise had practically dragged him out of his room.

Though, he couldn't complain. It had been a while since he had been out and quite honestly, it would be a waste to not do anything. They were in LA after all, so going to the beach was an absolute must.

Before they could leave the front door, however, they were stopped by an unlikely person.

"Where do you think you two are going?" The voice asked grumpily and the two turned around comically slow to find Aomine standing in front of them with his arms crossed loosely. His glare was still as piercing as ever, though.

"Um, out?" Kise said dumbly, and Midorima struggled not to slap him.

"I can see that. My question is, exactly where?" Aomine asked, losing his patience quickly. Midorima knew where this would lead to. It had been happening for the past month since the decision to change the match date. Aomine would always catch Kise, especially Kise, trying to leave and they would end up having a fight that Midorima would always have to break up.

"To the beach. We were invited by friends." Midorima said as concisely as possible. "Does that answer your question?"

Aomine's eyes narrowed. "Friends? What friends?"

Midorima rolled his eyes. "I think you already know, Aomine. Why are you always so sensitive about this?"

"Because you're all traitors, that's why." Aomine gritted out.

Midorima's fists clenched. It was like arguing with a toddler, and he hated children. He never had patience for them. "Think what you will. I am sick of being inside this place and it is too hot to not go to the beach. So, if you will excuse us, we'll be leaving." Midorima said with a very sharp tongue and started pushing a fuming Kise to the front door.

"Is that Kagami bastard going to be there?" Aomine then suddenly asked and the two stopped in their steps.

"Why do you want to know that?" Kise asked carefully.

"Because it's been a month since I destroyed him and I want to see how he is now." Aomine stated.

Midorima's face turned sour. "What are you, a sadist? I don't know if Kagami's going to be there and even if I did, then that would mean Kuroko would be there as well. Would you be ok with meeting Kuroko after that fiasco? Did that punch not do anything to you?"

Aomine launched forward and grabbed Midorima by the collar. "You better be careful with that mouth, Midorima. I might just rip it off you."

Midorima wasn't at all fazed and merely looked at the tanned man right in the eye. "I rest my case. Let go, Aomine. I don't want to deal with your stupidity." He then shook Aomine's hand away before finally leaving with Kise.

Aomine was left in the doorway alone, and he was practically shaking. Was it from anger? Probably. With what Midorima said? Not quite right. Midorima always had a sharp tongue that Aomine didn't really care for. Maybe he was shaking from the anger that Midorima was assuming that he took orders from him. That didn't sound about right, either. Then what was it? Why was he shaking? Whatever it was, he wasn't going to dwell on it. Either way, before he could argue his way out, he was out the door and followed them.

* * *

 _"Who the fuck invited that douchebag?"_ Kagami roared as he laid eyes on the one person he never wanted to see. The six friends were taking a small break from their life-or-death splash war and were currently lying on the sand, drinking in the sun. When they heard the bubbling voice of Kise, they all lifted their heads to greet the two, but Kagami immediately spotted the tanned man, anger immediately swelling inside his stomach.

 _"Ryo, did you—"_ Eddy started to ask, but it wasn't friendly or kind like any other time he spoke. His tone trembled and there was a darkness swirling in his eye.

Kise saw this immediately and tried to dispel it as quickly as possible. _"No! Oh god no! I only invited him,"_ pointing to Midorima. _"I had no idea he was following us, I swear!"_

 _"Then why is this bastard here?"_ Ben swore, standing up immediately to move closer to Kagami, almost in a protective stance. The others seemed to do the same, and the two Generation of Miracles didn't know what to do. On one hand, they want to go with their US friends and stand beside Kagami. What Aomine had done to the red-head was unforgivable, they didn't really like Aomine that much either, and they wouldn't want to lose their new friends' trust. Simultaneously, however, Aomine was still an old friend and a soon-to-be teammate. If they severed their ties with him now, Akashi would have both of their heads in a split second.

So they stayed neutral, not moving a muscle as they watched with worried eyes.

 _"I don't know but he better leave if he doesn't want a beating."_ Sebastian answered with a terrible glower. He wasn't known to be menacing because his personality was too cheerful for that. But with what had happened to one of his most important friends, even he couldn't keep a straight face to the man who had caused Kagami so much pain.

One wrong step and a fight would surely occur. Kagami's hatred for Aomine was so great, as was everyone else's for the enemy, that one wrong move and something unforgivable would happen.

 _"Please stop."_ Kuroko chimed in, his voice small but strong. Everyone looked at him, even Aomine who looked on with guarded eyes, and Kuroko sighed as he was first to move closer to the unwanted man.

"Kuroko, what are you—" Kagami said as he tried to grab the smaller man, but he skillfully evaded and avoided his question. Instead, Kuroko walked straight up to Aomine and looked at him with what seemed to be almost a glare.

"Why are you here, Aomine-kun? Eddy said he only invited Kise and Midorima-kun." Kuroko accused, leaving Aomine in a very uncomfortable position.

"Why limit yourself to only two of the Generation of Miracles?" Aomine answered back haughtily. "Why not have one more to make things more fun?"

"You have already ruined it, Aomine-kun. You cannot bring more fun when you have killed it the moment you entered the scene. Please, for the sake of everyone here, leave."

Kuroko bowed, which Kagami scowled at, and Aomine took a look around the beach and the group of people in front of him. They were either looking at him with discontent eyes or outright swearing at him to leave. He probably should have; it would have been the best option. But he felt angry at the fact that he wasn't wanted. It was almost as if he wanted to prove his worth to these people who were obviously inferior to him.

Was that why he was shaking?

Aomine stayed.

"What, can't even give me a chance? Come on, Tetsu, you should do better than that." Aomine said, disguising his words in a way that was still in his own repertoire but indirectly asking Kuroko to give him a second chance. Aomine wanted him to understand the true meaning of his words, just as they had done in middle school. Kuroko always knew what Aomine wanted to say, even when the right words never came out.

But sadly, that bond was broken ages ago and Kuroko couldn't understand it. And if he had, then he didn't show it.

"I will not, Aomine-kun. I refuse." Kuroko said and narrowed his eyes. "I would also appreciate if you did not call me that anymore. Please leave." He added with a bow once more, and Aomine's head flared.

Kuroko's name. _Tetsu._ A name that Aomine came up with in middle school, when they knew that the bond they had was too strong to break. It contained so many meanings, but both knew that, if anything, the name Tetsu meant 'best friends.'

Did Kuroko really want to sever the only thing that kept them connected? Did he really want to cut the past away?

"Do you hate me that much that you won't even give me a second chance?" Aomine whispered, which gradually got louder.

Kuroko looked surprised. "A second…?"

"Can't I have one day where there are no hard feelings? I've been cooped up in that fucking summer house for who knows how long and it's been driving me insane. You've got some real nerve, Tetsu, telling me to leave. What if I don't want to? What if I wanted to come here to hang out? What if I came here to try and make things right again?"

Aomine was losing control of his mind. The heat was getting to him and his head was spinning. His mind acted differently from his body. What he didn't want to say was said in an instant, like water suddenly flooding because the already cracked dam completely broke open.

In his mind, what he was saying in reality didn't make sense. But it was all true. He didn't come here to taunt Kagami, not really. He was here to try and make amends with his former best friend, even though he knew it would be impossible. But damn it, the guilt was practically killing him and the word "monster" haunted him every night. He just wanted retribution, and maybe a redoing of that time. Exactly which time? Even Aomine couldn't tell.

But most of all, he just wanted to go back with Kuroko and be his best friend again.

* * *

Kuroko, and everyone else who could understand Japanese, were speechless as they all saw a glimpse of the old Aomine, who would hurt and feel emotion like anyone else.

Surprisingly, it was Kagami who spoke first. He stood up and left the group, who had unconsciously made a protective shell around him, and walked up to the conflicted tanned man.

"Everyone else here thinks that it was your fault that I had to be bed-ridden and eventually go through rehabilitation. And maybe it was. But even I don't think that you deserve all the blame for my injury. In the end, it was my own inexperience and immaturity that led me to take up your challenge, and now I've learned my lesson. If you want to stay, then fine, be my guest. But do anything to my friends, even mutter a single insult, and I will kick you out immediately." Kagami said calmly but had a stance of a warrior, one that would never fall.

Aomine took a moment to process Kagami's words, and for a second, was grateful that he had bestowed the second chance that Aomine most wanted. But, being him, he obviously had to answer in an Aomine way.

"What makes you think you'll be able to kick me out?" Aomine said with a smirk but his facial expression noticeably grew softer, something that everyone caught.

Kagami grimaced but without much menace. Instead, he shrugged and pointed him towards the shack. "We're going to surf so you're going to want to rent one out. I'm assuming your English is somewhat understandable?"

"Bastard, are you underestimating me?" Aomine responded, leading the two to bicker all the way to the shack and back.

 _"Can someone please explain to me what just happened and why the number one must hated person is now renting out a surfboard with Tiger?"_ Ben asked with his jaw wide open. The others had the same look.

Kise gave them a sympathetic look. _"I'll explain along the way."_

Kuroko was afraid that the inclusion of Aomine would hamper the fun that they had been having. But, to his and everyone else' surprise, his inclusion did nothing but enhance their joy. It was almost like he was the last spark needed to start a flame in a pile of woods.

That, of course, still took time.

If Kuroko had to pinpoint exactly from which point Aomine was fully included in the fun, it would have to be that surfing match that he so stupidly declared against Kagami.

If anyone went to school with Kagami or at least discovered him one day in the beach, they would all know that Kagami's ability to surf was not to be belittled. Just like basketball, he was a beast when it came to surfing and no one could deny it, not even the prideful Himuro, who had once gone against him and lost immeasurably. His skill, balance, and speed with which Kagami possessed was that of a professional, and if he weren't such a basketball idiot, he definitely would have made it as a competitive surfer. So, no one ever dared to have a match with Kagami in surfing because they knew they would lose in an instant.

But Aomine didn't fit into the aforementioned categories. Aomine was as blind as a bat and was extremely competitive in spirit, especially against Kagami. Like an idiot, he bet Kagami that he could be as good a surfer as he was and declared him to a match, one that Kagami happily agreed to without much thought.

 _"He's got to be kidding. Please tell me he's kidding."_ Eddy said in dismay and Kuroko shook his head, also slightly shook.

 _"I believe he is not kidding and is actually going to have a surfing match with Tiger."_ Kuroko supplied and Eddy had to blink a few times to see that he was not dreaming.

_"Has the dude ever had experience surfing?"_

_"None that I know of."_

_"Oh he's screwed. He is royally screwed. Almost feel bad for the guy now. He's going to get destroyed."_ Eddy commented but slowly started to get more excited. _"Am I the only one who wants to see the dude get destroyed?"_

Thankfully, he wasn't the only one.

Aomine and Kagami geared up with their body suits and got ready to go into the water. Despite what Aomine had declared, he was actually terrified of surfing. He had never once touched a surfboard in his life and he wasn't even sure if he could balance himself in the water afterwards. He didn't even want to think about what would happen if they got into the wave.

"What, scared already, Aomine? I thought you said you were just as capable in the water." Kagami laughed as he began to cover himself in sea water.

"Shut the fuck up, asshole." Aomine responded as he started copying Kagami's movements.

"You _have_ had experience surfing, right?" Kagami then asked a bit worriedly.

Frankly, it pissed Aomine off. "Obviously, dumbass. Why do you think I'm having this match with you right now? Are you stupid?"

"Just making sure. And jesus christ, you really need to lighten up. Does everything that comes out of your mouth have to be an insult?"

"It is to you." Aomine responded and Kagami rolled his eyes but wasn't tempted to keep the insults up. That month of rehabilitation had really opened his eyes and now, he was making a conscious effort not to stoop so low.

They began to go into the water, balancing their bodies onto the board, Aomine discreetly copying Kagami's movements without him noticing. The others, who were in the sand, had formed an audience and looked on with anticipation.

Then, as a ginormous wave came forward, Aomine suddenly grew afraid for his own life. Kagami, however, was looking at it as it was the best thing that had ever come to his life, and swum closer to it. Not wanting to seem like a coward, Aomine pushed ahead as well, but when the wave came and Kagami began to stand up, Aomine slipped and was immediately washed away onto the shore.

With panic, Kise rushed towards him to see if he was hurt anywhere but Aomine couldn't even lift his face from the embarrassment. From a few inches away, Ben was laughing so much his stomach started hurting and even the silent Felix couldn't help but let out a few chuckles.

Kagami immediately came back to the shore looking freaking perfect but had a worried look on his features. "Aomine, are you ok?"

"Fuck off." Aomine muffled.

"I thought you said you could surf." Kagami then jabbed, his face practically like a child's.

"Fuck off." He said in a louder tone.

"Why lie?"

"Just fuck off. I can't even look at you right now." Aomine then said, his face visibly red under the tan. Kagami saw and laughed.

"Good match, I guess?" He teased before dodging a surprise board attack from Aomine.

"Aominecchi, let's go back to the others." Kise suggested but Aomine was too embarrassed to even walk.

"Want a rematch?" Kagami added before running away from Aomine's surfboard. He then directed his attention to Eddy and the others, who were currently out of breath from the spectacle that had unraveled before them.

 _"Eddy, wanna join?"_ Kagami called out, which Eddy immediately jumped at.

 _"Thought you'd never ask! Jesus, I think I'm going to get hardcore abs from all this laughing."_ He said as he slapped Aomine in the back as soon as their crossed pathways. Aomine stumbled for a bit before looking Eddy with wide eyes.

 _"Thanks for the laugh. I think we all needed that."_ Eddy said, his eyes softer and more sympathetic, and before Aomine could process the underlying message of that, Eddy and Kagami were already in the water, waiting for the next wave to come their way.

Aomine found himself getting pulled by Sebastian, the cat-eyed man, who also seemed out of breath.

"What…?" He muttered to himself but let himself get pulled.

Sebastian smiled. _"Great job out there. Never knew you had it in you."_ He said with his mischievous glint in his eye, and Aomine, though he didn't quite understand what he said, knew that he was getting teased.

 _"Shut up."_ Aomine grumbled, his English rusty from not using it for a while.

 _"Come on, everyone else is waiting for you."_ Sebastian commented and the tanned man was soon the main attraction as everyone began to tease the living hell out of him. By the time they were done with their puns, Aomine was exhausted from trying to understand their English slang and didn't realize he was sitting next to Kuroko until it was too late. He tried to move away as secretively as possible but Kuroko opened his mouth before he could.

"That was stupid, Aomine-kun." Kuroko stated as if that was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Shut up, Tetsu." His eyes then widened as he realized what he just said. "I mean, Ku—"

"Don't." Kuroko cut off. "It would be too weird for you to call me by my surname now."

"But didn't you tell me I shouldn't use it?" Aomine asked softly.

Kuroko shrugged. "When have you ever been one to listen to other people's words?"

Aomine couldn't help it. He had to blink away tears. "Does that mean that—"

"Nothing is solved yet, Aomine-kun. There is still so much that I am holding onto that could potentially lead me to hate you all over again." Aomine couldn't say anything to that.

But then Kuroko, as he looked at into the ocean and saw Eddy trying to push Kagami from his surfboard to no avail, smiled as his eyes visibly softened that even Aomine could read his emotions. "But, this is a start."

Aomine copied Kuroko's actions soon after, staring at the crashing of the waves and the constant bicker from his surroundings. The numbness in his head slowly began to decrease and his vision started getting less blurry. The terrible gut feeling he had when he first encountered Kuroko surprisingly started to lessen as well and he found that he could breathe easier.

A small teardrop cascaded down his cheeks and Aomine let it be. Kuroko saw it but didn't comment on it. On the inside, the teal-haired man couldn't help but smile. It was like he was sitting next to his best friend again.

"Yeah, I guess it is." Aomine then said as they both looked at the sparkling ocean.

* * *

From there, it was as if Aomine had become a different person. His douchebag-like personality was still there because his sharp tongue just couldn't be contained, but it was clear that he wasn't intentionally trying to hurt anybody.

It even came to point where he begrudgingly asked Kagami to teach him surfing. Kuroko knew this would happen. From the moment they had the match, it was still clear that Aomine had taken an interest in surfing and that Kagami was the best one he's seen all day.

That, and Kuroko had noticed how Aomine couldn't take his eyes of Kagami surfing for the entire day.

He should have recorded a video of Aomine trying (and failing) to ask Kagami for lessons because it was almost impossible to see Aomine with such a embarrassed face on a daily basis.

Kagami, like the good-natured man he was, quickly took Aomine's offer up, though maybe he wasn't as good-natured because every now and then, Kuroko would hear Kagami jabbing at Aomine's weak points like it was his job.

Even still, it was a good day.

By the time the sun went down and the crazy summer heat had finally decreased, Aomine could stand in the wave and even do a few swerves here and there. And, by the time they done with their rest day, their friend group had noticeably gone less hostile towards the tanned man, and even gave him his nickname that they would use for the rest of the summer.

 _Dai_. Somehow, when they heard that, both Kuroko and Aomine missed Momoi.

The day was eventful, one that Kuroko never imagined having. Kise and Midorima were the same as always, submitting to most of Eddy's and Sebastian's teasing, but having Aomine tag along was definitely new. It was unexpected and he had braced for the worse, but he was glad and was pleasantly surprised that it had ended this way.

As they all began to part, Kuroko and Kagami stuck around until everyone except for the three Generation of Miracles were left.

Kagami eyed Aomine but didn't feel any anger or hostility anymore. Sure, he's had his conflicted emotions about the tanned man since the moment they met, but that didn't mean he couldn't change. Kagami was better than this. Aomine was still an asshole, but that didn't mean he wasn't human. All humans make mistakes, and because of that, they should always be given a second chance. Of course, when they do get it, they should utilize it as well as they can.

Luckily for Aomine, he passed.

Kise and Midorima stood in the background, merely inspecting. They, too, didn't think that the day would be this fun. If anything, they believed that Aomine would most likely destroy any kind of happiness that was present. But they were wrong. And a small of part of them was actually guilty that they would demoralize Aomine as such a monster.

They, too, had been like that once, and it was wrong of them to assume that Aomine would mess everything up. In the end, it was as if Aomine had his own redemption arc, though they knew he still had a long way to go before everything could be patched up with Kuroko.

But for now, they were happy with the progress. They were happy with today's outcome.

They were just happy.

"So, what now?" Kagami broke the silence as he looked at Aomine. It still seemed that he was still in conflict with his inner self. "What's going to happen next?"

"What do you mean? We have the match and that's it." Aomine soon responded, though his head began to hurt again.

"You're still willing to take Tetsu away from here? After everything that's happened?" Kagami asked incredulously, his anger starting to boil.

"A promise is a promise. We have to take it to the end. Tetsu doesn't belong here."

"You can't decide that. That's Tetsu's own decision to make."

"What do you know?" Aomine gritted out.

Kagami wasn't going to let that get to him. "You were here today. You were with us. You were with Tetsu the most. You should know. You were his best friend, weren't you?" Kagami pointed out and Aomine's eyes widened a fraction.

The images from today played out before him and he found himself remembering Kuroko's smile the most. There was even a few laughs here and there. It was such a rare sight but he looked truly happy, so much more than when he was in Japan with them.

Did that mean that Kuroko really wanted to stay here and not go back with them? Could Aomine really accept that? Could he really accept defeat and acknowledge the fact that what he and Kuroko had once in the past couldn't be salvaged?

Aomine still needed time. "I don't know." He ended up saying pathetically and Kagami sighed, foreseeing that answer but was glad that Aomine had also grown. If he had asked the same question to Aomine a few weeks ago, he never would have gotten that answer.

"Whatever. In the end, we're going to win and Tetsu's going to stay. I won't let him leave unless he wants to on his own will. You better be prepared." Kagami declared and Aomine took the challenge up immediately.

"I should say the same thing to you, dumbass." Aomine replied back but lacked the same confident stare that Kagami had. Kuroko noticed how the tanned man's aura had lessened significantly and he was seeing more and more of old Aomine again. Did that mean that Aomine was so deprived of friendship that he had become the monster he was by the end of middle school? Was that Kuroko's fault?

He decided not to dwell on it. He had made the conscious choice to come to the States for a reason. This was not his fault and he was not to blame.

"We will see you soon, Aomine-kun." Kuroko then said as a finally goodbye and though Aomine looked like he wanted to say something else, he got the hint that it was time to separate and nodded once.

But before they could depart, Kuroko then added, "I had fun today", making Aomine's eyes widen. The phantom sixth man then walked away with Kagami by his side and as Aomine stared at their shadow figures growing smaller and smaller, he couldn't help but smile tiredly.

"See you soon, Tetsu." He muttered to himself before catching up with Kise and Midorima to go back to the summer house.

* * *

"So, you're saying that there are two Akashis?" Himuro exclaimed and Murasakibara nodded drowsily.

"Yup, in middle school~ He was really kind in the beginning but then became scary~" The purpled haired man responded as he took another bite of his cheesecake. At this point, The Cheesecake Factory would go bankrupt because Murasakibara was eating all of their cakes.

Himuro had asked Murasakibara to meet up, and the purple haired giant had agreed the moment Himuro mentioned desserts. Of course, Himuro had a purpose for this meet up. Ever since Kagami had asked him to be a substitute player, he was even more anxious to find information about their opponents. Sure, it was still because he wanted to get revenge on the person who had hurt Kagami, but he also hated being on the losing side. He wanted to know every weakness that these Generation of Miracles had so that he could exploit them and use them to his advantage.

What better way to start than to learn about their captain?

"So, he's bipolar?" Himuro asked, trying to grasp the situation.

Murasakibara tilted his head to the side, not comprehending exactly what Himuro meant. "Not bipolar… He's been like this for a while now."

"But he changed all of a sudden, didn't he?"

"Like a whole different person." Murasakibara said with his arms stretched out widely.

"And he's staying like that?" Himuro asked and Murasakibara nodded in confirmation.

"I wonder what made him become like that." Himuro muttered to himself but Murasakibara heard and guiltily raised his hand.

"It was my fault…" He said, his head drooping like a puppy's. "I asked Aka-chin for a match because I was getting stronger than him and didn't want to take orders from someone weak, and I think that made him change. He wanted to win, so he did whatever he could to achieve it."

"But that doesn't suddenly make the person change. Unless…" Himuro trailed off, his brain working a possible theory with the knowledge he just earned.

"Muro-chin?"

"Do you know anything about his family? It's a personal question, I know, but it just doesn't make sense that someone would have such a drastic personality change."

Murasakibara shrugged, not thinking too much of the question. "Aka-chin is rich. His dad is scary~"

Something then clicked. "Then it makes sense. if he grew up in such a strict, rigorous family, then it's only understandable that their child would be raised to want to win all the time. Does he have siblings, by any chance?"

Murasakibara shook his head. "Nope, he's an only child."

"Then, he's the heir." Himuro mused. "I think I can understand the trigger to his change, then."

Murasakibara tilted his head. "Really?"

Himuro nodded. "If he was raised to constantly win, then his entire existence is based on that. The fact that you threatened him and almost made him lose changed him. You practically threatened his entire existence."

At that explanation, Murasakibara's eyes widened and he began to hide in his mountain of plates. "I did that?" He said quietly, and it was like looking at a hurt puppy.

Himuro sighed and patted Murasakibara on the head. "You didn't know, Atsushi." Murasakibara leaned into his touch as Himuro gave him a soft smile.

He then grew serious again. "Is there, by any chance, a way to change Akashi to the way he was?" Himuro then asked carefully.

Murasakibara's eyes widened, as if the possibility of changing Akashi back was something he had never thought about before. "I don't know. It'd be nice if there was. I liked the old Akashi better. He was so much nicer."

Himuro began to think, so much so that their conversation died off and the two departed without much words. If there was any way Akashi could change back, then it could potentially help Kagami's situation. But first, he would have to relay the information and hopefully, with the help of Kuroko's past, they would be able to find a trump card to use.

* * *

"Tetsuya."

"Akashi-kun."

"You must be wondering why I called you out."

"I was. And a day before the match as well. Is there something you have to say?"

"Yes, yes I do."

"Then, what is it?"

"I'd like to make a bargain with you. You've known from the very beginning that Kagami's condition would never fully heal, have you not?"

"How did you—"

"By the time this match ends, he will have overexerted himself and will potentially ruin his chances of succeeding as a basketball player in the future."

"You don't know that."

"But I do. You do not stand a chance against us, Tetsuya. But you and I both know that Kagami does not give up. Come to Japan with us now and I'll not only introduce him to a good doctor but also pay all of his fees so that he recovers completely. What do you say?"

"Akashi-kun…"

"Do you not care for him? Do you not want him to succeed?"

"I do but…"

"Then choose. Will you come with us now and help Kagami achieve his dreams or will you hinder them because of your own selfishness?"

 


	10. Chapter 10

 

* * *

Akashi recalled the first time he met the man named Kuroko Tetsuya.

He remembered that it was when he had just entered middle school and the famous Teiko basketball club announced its first, second, and third stringers. Maybe it was due to the tension that had accumulated before the results, or just the overall tiring day, but it was a rather quiet day. Everyone had left, even his first-stringer friends, and he was left to lock the door.

It was so silent that Akashi could hear is own heartbeat, and he relished in that for a while, but then he froze when he heard the familiar bouncing sound of a basketball hitting the polished wooden floor. He had been so sure that everyone had gone home by now, because the silence was there, and he had to wait several seconds to grasp that his mind was not playing tricks at him and he was most definitely hearing the sound of a ball hitting the floor.

Like any responsible person would do, he walked to where the sound was and tell the person that he was going to lock up soon. But when he arrived, the sound was gone and it was like the experience never happened. Akashi had stopped then, remembering the rumors that spread like wild-first about the third gymnasium, about a potential ghost that haunted the area, and was close to running away when he heard a very timid, shy voice.

"Are you locking up?" It asked and Akashi was truly starting to believe in these rumors because no matter where he looked, there was no person. Where in the world was the voice coming from?

And, as if the voice had read his mind, it answered his unvoiced question. "I'm standing right in front of you."

Akashi blinked in front of him and was startled to find a small boy with unruly teal-colored hair holding a basketball that was twice the size of his face.

"Have you been standing there this entire time?" Akashi asked and the boy nodded. "How come I didn't see you the first time?"

"Most people cannot. It is not something I can prevent. I just never had a strong presence to begin with." The boy answered and though his voice was monotone, Akashi could hear the sadness revolving around it. Akashi immediately felt the loneliness that the boy was feeling just by listening to a few of his words.

If that didn't scream pity, then Akashi didn't know what would.

"Is that so?" Akashi answered, not knowing what else to say. It was getting rather awkward, talking to a boy he could barely even see. "Have you always been like this?"

The boy nodded. "Yes, it would seem so."

"Doesn't it get lonely?" Akashi then asked, the words just coming out. How awfully rude of him.

Before he could apologize, however, the boy answered him. "Sometimes. But a friend of mine told me that I could easily counteract that by playing a sport and making friends there."

"Which is why you're playing basketball? To make friends?"

The boy nodded again. "Yes, and my friend loves basketball. We played in elementary school and when we went to different middle schools, we made a promise to meet again in the upcoming tournaments."

Akashi smiled because the boy's voice had lifted, just talking about this one friend who became the reason for his playing basketball. "Admirable. So, which string are you in?"

At that, the boy's head fell. "Third."

Akashi wrinkled his eyebrows in pity. "I'm sorry to hear that. Third-stringers barely get a chance to play." It was blunt but it was true. There was no use in giving the boy hope when he barely got into the club.

But the boy was determined. It shone in his eyes. "I'm not giving up, though."

Akashi's eyes widened. "You're not?"

The boy shook his head. "I will not. I made a promise that I will keep, so I will do whatever I can to achieve it."

"Is that why you're practicing all alone after hours? To get better?"

"Yes."

Akashi then smiled because this small, insignificant boy reminded him so much of himself, who strived to achieve every goal he possibly could, no matter how impossible. The boy reminded him of an innocence that Akashi strove to contain.

"Then, you will surely make it and achieve this promise you made."

"Do you think so?" The boy said as his head lifted to meet Akashi's eyes. Even in the darkness, Akashi could see how clear and bright those blue eyes were.

"I do. Keep up the good work." Akashi replied and for the first time, the boy smiled.

It honestly took Akashi's breath away because this boy was his innocence in human form. This boy was the kind of person people aspired to be, who didn't know the meaning of giving up and would desperately do everything he could to reach his goal.

It was so admirable that Akashi truly hoped the best for the boy's wellbeing. And he never wished that upon anyone because he, of all people, knew how cruel fate could be.

"It was nice talking to you, but I really do have to lock up now and I would rather not do that with someone still inside." Akashi then reluctantly said and the boy nodded, running to put the ball away. When he came back, they both left the gym and the boy said his farewells first.

"Thank you for the encouragement." The boy said before leaving and it took Akashi a moment to realize that he never caught the boy's name.

Thankfully, Aomine solved that for him a few days afterwards when he met the boy the same way he had (though apparently, there was more screaming involved), and soon enough, everything that Kuroko had wanted came true.

He got better at basketball, made it into first-string by developing a skill that Akashi had nudged him towards, and became open and kind enough to make plenty of friends.

Friends who were soon to be called the Generation of Miracles.

Akashi's head began to pulse as he let go of his coffee. He wasn't sure why he was dwelling on the past now, and quickly tried to get rid of it. But the thought process had already begun.

Why had he come all the way to the States? Was it really because he wanted to redeem himself from the terrible incident that occurred the day of middle school graduation, in which he went over the line and physically hurt a friend, a girl even? Did he really want to bring Kuroko back just to tell the others that he was truly absolute? Was he really going this far to prove to himself just how powerful he was?

The pulsing just kept growing stronger, and his eye began to vibrate in pain.

 _Just take a deep breath,_  Akashi told himself mentally,  _just take a deep breath._

There was more to the story, that much he knew. There was absolutely no way he would come all the way to the States and even drag the rest with him just for the sake of his proving how right he was about his absolute state. The action was too big severe for that one flimsy explanation.

Then why? Why did he come all the way here to confront the once small, tiny boy whom he had met in the third gymnasium in middle school?

 _Maybe you feel regret._  The annoying voice inside his mind seemed to say and Akashi's eyes, which had been shut tightly, instantly bulged out.

 _Shut up_ , he told the voice. There it was again, trying to take over. There was, however, nothing to take over because he was handling the situation. There was no threat that could cause his failure. He did not need his other self.

_Maybe you came here because he you merely wanted to apologize._

_What is there to apologize for?_  He bitterly asked.

_The last match._

Akashi's eyes opened even wider, as if that was possible.

_You always wished the best for his wellbeing. You hoped for it, even thought you knew how cruel life would be._

_Shut up._  He began to scream.  _Shut up, shut up, shut up!_

_But that last match._

_I'm telling you to shut up!_

_It was absolutely deplorable. What you did to his friend, who had been his inspiration to take up basketball in the first place._   _I'm beginning to wonder, did you really mean it? Did you really want the best for him? When you were the one who took everything away from him?_

_Shutupshutupshutupshutupshutup_

_"I'm sorry, I'm looking for someone and I don't know where he is."_  Akashi's head snapped up when he heard the familiar monotone voice. Kuroko came at his request, just as he should. Akashi still had control over his former teammate. He knew it.

_Do you really?_

"Tetsuya." Akashi called out and Kuroko thanked the Starbucks employer before coming to where he was.

"Akashi-kun." Kuroko replied as he sat down with no drink in his hand. Akashi would have to order one for him later.

"You must be wondering why I called you out." He began, getting straight to the point.

"I was. And a day before the match as well. Is there something you have to say?" Kuroko replied, his voice betraying nothing.

"Yes, yes I do."

"Then, what is it?" Kuroko then said, his eyes naturally going curious.

This was it. The last chance Akashi had to go the easy way out and end it before anything bad were to happen. "I'd like to make a bargain with you." He thus began. "You've known from the very beginning that Kagami's condition would never fully heal, have you not?"

Kuroko's eyes widened. Bingo. "How did you—"

"By the time this match ends, he will have overexerted himself and will potentially ruin his chances of succeeding as a basketball player in the future." Akashi cut off.

"You don't know that." Kuroko answered but his voice was trembling.

"But I do." Akashi persuaded, his voice as confident as ever. "You do not stand a chance against us, Tetsuya. But you and I both know that Kagami does not give up. Come to Japan with us now and I'll not only introduce him to a good doctor but also pay all of his fees so that he recovers completely. What do you say?"

"Akashi-kun…" Just a bit more.

"Do you not care for him? Do you not want him to succeed?"

"I do but…" Just a  _bit_  more.

"Then choose. Will you come with us now and help Kagami achieve his dreams or will you hinder them because of your own selfishness?"

It took a while for Kuroko to answer, but Akashi was sure that he would agree to his bargain. He had to because Akashi had used all of his weaknesses against him. Kuroko was never one to turn away from a friend, especially one he so apparently cherished.

He knew it was unfair and probably rough-played but he was getting desperate.

_Why are you so desperate?_

Finally, after an agony of waiting, Kuroko opened his mouth to answer. "I will have to refuse."

Akashi's confident smile disappeared in a flash. "Excuse me?"

"I cannot accept your offer, Akashi-kun. It is not right."

Akashi's eyes narrowed. "So you would throw away Kagami's future because of your selfishness?"

Kuroko's eyes flashed and Akashi knew the teal-haired man was beginning to grow angry. An angry Kuroko was never a good sign. "This is not about my selfishness, Akashi-kun. Yes, I being selfish in a way because I want to win and stay here, but this is not just my own desire. This is everybody's, especially Kagami-kun's. He has been practicing day-in and day-out to make up for lost time at the hospital. Even now, I can see the guilt in his eyes for making such a mistake in the first place, when no one blames him for it. He has done everything he possibly could to improve his skills, to truly shine and make sure that he would win because he cares about basketball. I can't take that away from him. He cares about the sport too much."

"Are you saying that we don't?" Akashi asked, his voice tittering off the edge.

If Kuroko realized it, he didn't mention it. "You do not." He bluntly answered. "You do not know a single thing about the sport."

"How dare you —"

"Just the mere fact that you would give me such a bargain says to me that you never understood anything about us in the first place. You know nothing of the sport, of Kagami-kun, of even me for that matter. So, please, stop trying to take the easy way out and face us head-on. That is the least you can after what you did to my friend."

Akashi's eyes widened. It was back. The voice. And it getting louder than ever.

"Your friend?" Akashi asked, but his voice was shaking.

"You had promised me," Kuroko began and he was beginning to shake as well because his sorrow was welling up, "that you would not look down on them. That, in my absence, you would take that battle seriously and regardless of the score, you would still play as hard as you could. But you didn't. Instead, you played them and fixed the score to make the humiliation all the more bitter."

_The last match._

"Why, Akashi-kun? Why?"

_It was absolutely deplorable._

"I— I—" Akashi tried to say but the voice in his head was just getting in the way.

_What you did to his friend, who had been his inspiration to take up basketball in the first place._

"I had lost myself when I realized what you had done. I blamed myself entirely for the match but I couldn't even get the chance to apologize to him because he had transferred away, too afraid to look at me in the eye. He was  _afraid_ , Akashi-kun, to look at me because I had the same look as you did. I always had the feeling that we would end up separated but I never knew it could lead to actually hate basketball. To actually vomit at the sight of it."

_I'm beginning to wonder, did you really mean it?_

"To the point where I wanted to die because I had no one again."

_Did you really want the best for him?_

"Why would you do such a thing to make me hate you?"

_When you were the one who took everything away from him?_

"Enough!" Akashi bellowed, his hands slamming onto the table in front of them, a cacophonous sound that attracted the attention of everyone in the room. Even Kuroko looked taken aback, his back hitting the chair involuntarily, and his sky-blue eyes trembling quietly.

Akashi breathed hard, his mind in complete shatters. The voice in his head was too loud and it was preventing him from thinking at all. His vision blurred and he found that he didn't know where he was anymore. All he knew was that he was in States, but he didn't even know why.

Why did he come here?

Why did he come for Kuroko?

_Maybe because you wanted to apologize._

_Apologize for fixing the score._

_For playing his one and only true friend like a ragged doll that would surely be thrown to the trash._

_Apologize for leaving him alone._

_For making him feel the one emotion you promised yourself you would never allow him to feel._

_Apologize for being a bad friend._

_Who ended up showing him the cruel you promised never to make him feel and preventing him from getting the best for his wellbeing._

"Enough." Akashi whispered, "I've had enough." The confidence was drowned out in an instant and his eyes grew tired. His whole being began to slump, almost as if he had been wring dry. He didn't have the energy to talk anymore. He didn't have the energy to look anymore.

Look where?

He didn't know.

He just didn't know.

"Akashi-kun?" Kuroko hesitantly asked, his hand reaching forward to touch Akashi on the shoulder. Completely unlike himself, Akashi flinched away and grabbed his pulsing head.

"Just… enough. If you cannot understand my reasoning for doing this, then I have nothing else left to say to you. We'll finish this tomorrow at the match. That is all." Akashi concluded as he unstably began to stand and walk away.

But Kuroko wasn't done with him just yet. He, too, stood up, his hand slamming onto the poor coffee table.

"What  _is_  your reasoning for doing this, then? For all of this?"

Akashi stopped in his steps but didn't respond as he just left.

Now that he thought about it, the word  _didn't_  wasn't the right word. It was more that he  _couldn't_. He couldn't respond to Kuroko's question.

Why?

Because he just didn't know himself.

* * *

The big day was finally here, and it was intense even before the sun came out. Kagami, like the child he was, couldn't sleep an inch as he spent the entire night imagining what kind of plays he would use against the Generation of Miracles.

The others, however, was just like the red-head as they, too, couldn't sleep. So when Himuro suddenly called the team out early in the morning, they were all grateful because their bodies were too jittery for them to even try to close their eyes.

 _"Morning. Did everyone sleep well?"_ Himuro started off as they'll gathered in the small basketball court right next to Kagami's house. Everyone, he noticed, was already geared up and ready to go and he chuckled once he saw Kagami, whose eye bags were the most prominent out of all of them.

Kagami glared at him as he scoffed in response.  _"Is that supposed to be joke?"_

Himuro shrugged as he chuckled.  _"Who knows?"_

Eddy wasn't having it either.  _"Why'd you suddenly call us out like this?"_  He asked, getting straight to the point and the joking atmosphere disappeared in a flash.

_"I've been trying to get intel for the last couple of weeks with Atsushi on the Generation of Miracles. I know I could've just asked TK all of you were busy training and I thought it would be better to get information from the source itself."_

_"Wait, Sushi? You talked with sushi?"_  Sebastian cut off and the rest snickered at the unintended joke. Kuroko and Himuro were not amused as the smaller of the two respectfully punched Sebastian in the gut.

 _"Please listen more carefully, Sebastian. This might potentially help us gain the upper hand."_  Kuroko said seriously, and by the glint of his eye, no one wanted to go into angry Kuroko territory.

 _"Sorry, sorry. Who did you talk to again?"_  Sebastian asked, the serious atmosphere back again.

Himuro sighed but kept going.  _"The very tall, purple-haired one."_  Everyone nodded, immediately knowing who he was talking about.  _"By now, I'm assuming that everyone knows three fifths of their so-called power, right?"_

Ben summarized for them.  _"Ryo has the power to copy any move he sees, Shin can shoot full range three shots and from what Tiger has told us, Dai is just a super human. But we know how to deal with them. Ryo can't copy a buzzer beater and Shin has his own limits that we can easily push. Tiger's been improving so much that he can deal with Dai."_ Kagami nodded furiously at the last bit.

Himuro, satisfied with the answer, took over.  _"Right, but that means we still have to deal with the last two, who we didn't get a chance to play yet. Atsushi, the purple haired guy, is crazy good at defense. He barely steps out of the three point range zone, so that means that he can block both three pointers and two pointers."_

Ben's eyes always popped out.  _"Then how are we going to compete against that?"_

At that, Kuroko spoke up.  _"I believe I have something to defeat that aspect of him. I've seen first-hand what he can do, and I've been working on something that may potentially help us."_

Kagami, who had heard snippets from Alex, ruffled Kuroko's hair.  _"I believe in him. We got this."_ Kuroko couldn't help but give a small smile, which everyone saw and returned.

 _"So that just leaves us the psychopath."_  Eddy brought up with a grim look on his face. Everyone else grew uncertain, which was understandable because no one knew what his skill was and everyone could tell from just looking at him that he was the captain.

Even Himuro looked grim as he began explaining.  _"He would be the most troublesome."_ Everyone clenched their fists, ready to hear the worst. Himuro continued.

_"According to Atsushi, he has the power to look into the future."_

There was a brief silence as everyone took in Himuro's words. But not a moment later did everyone except him and Kuroko burst out laughing.

 _"Oh my god, I did not expect you to say that, Tat! My stomach, it's officially killing me!"_ Sebastian exclaimed, Eddy joining in as they both leaned on each other for support.

 _"Please tell me that was a joke to dispel the tension. Please!"_ Ben said in his fits of laughter and even Felix couldn't contain himself as he laughed as well.

Kagami was practically rolling on the ground.

Kuroko couldn't take it. They were obviously not taking this seriously enough, and they didn't know the extent of Akashi's power. He kicked Kagami, making him stop rolling and raised his voice so that everyone would hear this.

 _"This is no laughing matter. I have seen it. What Tat just said is true. Akashi truly has the power to see the future."_  Kuroko said and instantly, the laughter dissipated as everyone composed themselves. No one talked for a while before Eddy broke it.

 _"You're kidding me, right? He can't really be psychic. There's no such thing."_  The others nodded in agreement.

 _"I wish I weren't, I truly do."_  Kuroko lamented.  _"But it is true. Rather than saying that he can see the future, he can accurately predict what the opponent will do because his eyes are immensely perceptible to small movements. Every pivot, step and hesitation we do, he will see in slow-motion and will be able to tell where the ball will go next and inevitably, what our plan will be. It will be extremely hard to combat against that. Even I don't know what to do to counteract that."_

 _"No way…"_ Ben said as his voice began to quiver.  _"No one should be able to do that. There's absolutely no way."_

Himuro took over, his face severe.  _"Unfortunately, it's true. Atsushi even commented that when they had a one-on-one in middle school, he won by using the ability, and like I said before, Atsushi has crazy defense. With a height difference like that, you'd think that Atsushi would win immediately, but that obviously wasn't the case."_

 _"So, what do we do?"_  Eddy asked.  _"How can we win against that?"_

Himuro looked at Kuroko to see if he had any ideas, but Kuroko seemed reluctant to open his mouth. There was something troubling him, Himuro could tell, but he wasn't going to force anything out of him.

Instead,  _"This is just speculation but I believe that the only way we beat that is to beat_ him _first."_

 _"Excuse me, what? Please say words we can understand."_ Sebastian said in frustration.

 _"What I mean is, there's something special about this psychopath, as everyone seems to call him — which isn't very nice, by the way."_  Himuro commented with a frown. The others shrugged in response.

Himuro rolled his eyes but understood why they didn't want to change it. He continued explaining. _"I wouldn't necessarily call his condition bipolar but it seems to me that he has two split personalities and the more sadistic side has taken control. Atsushi said it was triggered due to immense stress — the fear of losing — and his ability appeared right when the switch happened, so my guess is that —"_

 _"We switch him back and make him lose that power."_  Kagami concluded for him, though he sounded annoyed when he did. Himuro understood why. Even after practicing for so hard, there were still some things that he couldn't match up to just yet. Kagami acknowledged the fact that he probably couldn't win against Akashi in a one-on-one because the difference in skill was just too high.

That in itself showed how much Kagami had grown.

 _"Do you think it's possible? That we can change him during the match?"_  Felix asked uncertainly and everyone looked at Kuroko for that certainty.

Said person grew fidgety, which made the group worry.

Kagami put his hand on Kuroko's shoulder and the teal-haired man looked up at him in shock. Kagami gave him a big smile.  _"There's nothing to worry about, Tetsu. We got this, remember?"_

Kuroko mentally thanked Kagami for giving him the support and decided that the conversation he had with Akashi yesterday was important enough for everyone to know.

So he told them everything.

The first thing that happened, which Kuroko had expected completely, was Kagami's rage against Akashi for trying to bribe Kuroko into giving up on the match. With a string of colorful vocabulary coming out of his mouth, it took several minutes for the group to calm him down.

When they did, they moved on to the next topic in line: Akashi's breakdown.

 _"So, you're telling me that he just screamed 'Enough!' and left?"_  Felix recapped and Kuroko nodded somberly.

_"It seems to me that his personality from before the one-on-one match is still there and is even trying to take over. He seemed to be battling himself in his mind."_

_"So, he's already been weakened?"_  Ben cautiously brought up.

Kuroko shook his head.  _"I'm not sure. But regardless, he will be a tough opponent, as with the rest. We might have become good friends with some of the Generation of Miracles, but that doesn't mean they'll go easy on us."_

 _"Nor do we want them to."_  Kagami cut in, surprising everyone. He put his arm on top of Kuroko's head like a shoulder rest and grinned like this was no big deal. Everyone seemed to get their spirits up just by looking at that.

_"If we want to win, we want to win fair and square. No looking down on them or thinking that they'll give us the easy way out. I want all of us to go all out, no exception."_

_"But your legs, Tiger."_  Eddy brought up in horror, as if the thought had never occurred to them before, and Kagami's smile faltered.  _"If what the discussion TK had yesterday is true, then you shouldn't overexert yourself. What if you can't play basketball after this? What's going to happen to you?"_

The rest looked at Kagami with sad eyes, waiting for his answer. Kagami himself seemed to be contemplating what he should.

 _"Maybe you should sit some of the quarters, just so that you can rest. I can't bear to see you not play the sport, Tiger. You're just too good at it."_  Ben suggested but they could tell that he wasn't convincing himself.

_"No, I have to play. My pride was what led me to this, all of this, and I want to make it right. I know my own condition and kind of knew as I left the hospital that I would have to be more careful than usual. I get it, I really do. But I want to play as much as I can, and show them how much I've grown. I can't just give this match up for a future that we're not even sure is going to happen. And if it does, then I'll figure out a way to get back on my feet."_

No one answered to him. They all looked at each other with doubt smeared on their faces, worried and scared.

But then Kuroko came to the rescue.  _"Then promise me. Promise all of us."_

Kagami looked at Kuroko with determined eyes.  _"What?"_

_"That you will rest when it is absolutely necessary. That when you feel something wrong, anything wrong, you will stop participating in the match and rest. Promise us. Please"_

Kagami fell silent as he looked at his teammates, those whom he had been playing with from the moment high school had started. They had gone through thick and thin, trekked rocky mountains and swam great seas (both literally and metaphorically), and now they had come to this. He never could imagine a life without basketball, and he didn't want to think about it now.

So, with a blinding smile, he answered,  _"I will."_

And from there on, the team became one and eagerly awaited for the bell to ring and the time to come for their long awaited match against the Generation of Miracles.

* * *

Something was wrong.

They could all sense it as they saw Akashi moving to get his equipment. The Generation of Miracles followed his lead but grew wary every time their leader swayed or grabbed his head in pain. They looked with worried eyes as Akashi failed to instruct them and give them a game plan. Akashi always had a game plan, even if it was just a simple 'win'.

But now, he was silent.

Empty.

Kise looked with concern as Akashi left the living room to go back to his own room and get something he had apparently forgotten. He moved towards Midorima, who seemed equally troubled.

"I wonder what happened yesterday to make Akashicchi like this." Kise brought up in a whisper and Midorima nodded slightly.

"What do you think happened when he met up with Kurokocchi?" Kise asked nervously.

"Everything we possibly feared and more." Midorima replied, his eyes constantly darting to Akashi's room.

"But to impact him like this? And today's the match. What does this mean?" Kise asked but Midorima had no words.

But Aomine did. "It means we do what we normally do, dumbass."

"Aominecchi?" Kise questioned but Aomine refused to meet his eyes.

"We destroy them. I don't care what happened yesterday when he met up with Tetsu but that doesn't mean our goal has changed. It never has. We're still going to win this and Tetsu's gonna come back with us. That's all."

"But it doesn't feel that way." Kise urged sadly. "After everything we've been through these months, I can't picture Kurokocchi leaving this place." Aomine was about to retort but Kise didn't give him a chance to.

The blond merely sighed, running his hand through his hair in distress. "Whatever the case is, Akashicchi isn't like himself. It's like something in him has just completely changed. Do we even know what Akashicchi even wants anymore?"

"Did any of us really know what he wanted?" Midorima pitched in. "I don't think even he knows himself."

"I don't understand what's going on." Murasakibara, who had been quiet this entire time, suddenly said. "Aka-chin isn't himself and none of you guys are thinking about the match."

"When have we ever thought about a match? We just kept winning, so there was nothing to think about, that's all." Aomine said without much of a flare but Murasakibara shook his head in disagreement.

"But this is an important match because Kuro-chin is without us. All of this started because of Kuro-chin and we've all had a taste of this life. I don't think any of us actually want to win anymore. I like this place now, and Kuro-chin obviously likes it, too. What does that mean for us?"

Kise nodded, Murasakibara's confusion easily matchable with his own. "What are we supposed to do now?"

"We win." Everyone whipped their heads up where they saw Akashi Seijuuro, the self-proclaimed king. His stance screamed power as he glared down at them with his fierce heterochromatic eyes. His hands gripped the handle of the stairs, his back proud and tall. He was back to his old self, as if the pain was never there.

"That is all."

But was he truly?

* * *

The school gym rippled as thousands of people rushed to get the best seat they possibly could for the basketball match that would be remembered for years to come. It was April's idea to make this into a public match, so she had broadcasted it everywhere, from mass texts to the actual school radio that everyone listened to. Rumors and news spread like wildfire in the area, the word interesting enough to make even the tourists come out and see what all the fuss was about.

By the time the two teams made their way into the court, the gym was almost like a stadium, with people packed and signs everywhere, rooting for Kagami's team. Neither team paid notice, however, as they all began to get into their game mode.

April, who had somehow become their unofficial manager, gave each of them a bottle of water and crouched down to look at them head on.

 _"You guys got this, ok? We'll win."_  She said with a determined smile on her face and everyone smiled back, the encouragement enough to get their blood even more riling. They soon huddled to talk about their game plan and mental preparation.

On the opposite side, however, no one was even talking. It was bizarre to see a basketball team with no joy or spirit, and it was like seem this so called team was just a group of individual who were just thrown into the mix, just because.

Audience members began to whisper amongst each other, to discuss which team would win, but when the first buzzer rang, they all quieted down and watched in amazement as both teams started warming up.

And when the second buzzer rang to signify the actual start of the game, the gym roared, its atmosphere matching that of the NBAs.

Kagami had everyone huddle once more and took a deep breath.

 _"Guys,"_  he started and everyone listened with great resolve,  _"Let's win this."_

And just like that, the match of the century began.

 


	11. Part I

 

**_[FIRST QUARTER]_ **

The beginning was a disaster. That much was obvious.

It started with the tip off. As the referee threw the ball as high as he could, the crowd eagerly watched Kagami and Murasakibara get in stance to jump. Unsurprisingly, for the Generation of Miracles at least, Murasakibara caught it first and easily passed to Aomine, whose body was ready to move. But the referee suddenly blew his whistle, interrupting the hyped up atmosphere and making everyone hesitate unconventionally.

 _"Number 5, jumper violation!"_  He called out, pointing to Murasakibara, and Aomine clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"You really have to fix that stupid habit of yours. Didn't you make the same mistake in the last Inter High?" The tanned man berated and Murasakibara merely shrugged, giving him a lazy side glance.

"I thought the ball was high enough." Murasakibara easily passed off.

"Well, you just disrupted the whole game, dumbass."

"Atsushi, be more mindful next time." Akashi himself scolded and Murasakibara sighed, reluctantly nodding.

"I will." He replied with a pout, making him look like an oversized child.

Eddy and the others look at each other with wide eyes.  _"Did he just get a jumper violation?"_

 _"I don't even know what that means."_  Ben added.

 _"It's when you touch the ball before it gets to its highest peak."_ Sebastian explained with a dumbfounded look.

 _"Is that even possible?"_  Felix asked, equally surprised. The others shook their heads in questioning. Kagami himself was at a loss for words.

"I couldn't catch up to him, even though I was practically going at full strength." Kagami breathed out, and Kuroko bit his lip in worry. He knew something like this were to happen early on, but the fact that Murasakibara not only beat Kagami to the ball (which rarely, if ever, happened) but also got a violation because he reached the peak before the ball did could only leave a shocking impact on him. And it was worse to see the Generation of Miracles act like it was no big thing, like it was something that happened every single time.

Kuroko nudged Kagami to get him out of his daze. "Kagami-kun, please focus. I understand the shock that has come with this incident but we cannot let that faze us. For now, let us do what we can."

Kagami nodded in agreement but still couldn't get the weird feeling out of his stomach. He was never one to think negatively about a match, especially one with such strong players, but he couldn't help but worry. With such high stakes placed on this match, Kagami's will to win was even more resolute.

The tip off was done once more, with Murasakibara taking the ball correctly this time and Aomine easily grabbing the ball. Kagami immediately greeted him with a grim look, which the Generation of Miracles' ace returned with a smirk, and easily overtook him. Kagami felt like he was watching himself repeat the same mistake as before, when he had first met with Aomine and lost himself in the man's overwhelming skills. No matter how much the redhead tried to pace himself to Aomine's, he just couldn't.

He was hit again and again to the overwhelming difference in power, strength, and talent.

Of course, that wasn't the only problem. Kagami's team also had to acknowledge the fact that their side wasn't scoring at all. Even if Kagami removed Aomine from the equation, there was still an unmovable wall known as Murasakibara Atsushi to deal with. He stood right under the net and his long limbs meant that he could easily cover the entire three pointer distance. He was also fast, reflexes incredible for a man with a size like his, and though he looked lackadaisical, he knew when to be serious.

Murasakibara guarded the goal like his life depended on it, which, in fact, did as Akashi had whispered to him beforehand that he would not allow any mistakes. Whenever the orange ball came close to him, he would chuck it out, making the other team falter in their steps.

The audience watched with worried eyes as they saw the score difference grow bigger and bigger as the minutes passed by. It was only two minutes in and no matter what Kagami's team did, they just couldn't score and defend.

Kagami could already feel a sweat going down his face as he tried to assess the situation. He first had to come to terms with the fact that Aomine was not the main problem. Constantly losing to Aomine in a one-on-one was a big problem, and Kagami understood that, but they would never have a chance to win if they couldn't even score. At least with Aomine, if he passed the ball to the others and avoided the meet up, the hope of winning would still be there. The team had to find some way to pierce through Murasakibara's shield, and as fast as possible, but it was hard to focus on only one thing when the rest of the situation was getting out of control.

Aomine was still proving to be as difficult as ever, especially with his almost god-like movements. Many in the audience could barely catch up with his tricks and shots, and those actually in the court with him could only stare in awe. Kise and Midorima, though reluctant, were also playing with ardor and whose talents shone as well. Whenever Midorima was passed the ball, he would shoot a three-pointer without hesitation and Kise would always copy the other team's movements to pass them by.

Akashi, however, didn't do much, which unnerved Kagami and the rest immensely.

It made Kagami think about how the anyone could ever win against monsters like them in the past because it was obvious that such great talent was tilted to only one side, and beating them would take more than just willpower.

Unconsciously, he was reminded of Kuroko. Was this why he moved?

By the second minute, Kagami's team was already 30 points behind and Alex couldn't bear it any longer. She had to call a time out.

No one spoke as they merely rubbed the sweat off their faces with towels. April, whose face was marred in worry, couldn't say a word as she passed out water bottles as well.

Then,  _"What can we do to get passed the purple haired giant?"_  Eddy asked. The others seemed to have no answer, but were clearly thinking the same.

 _"What weakness does he have? Is there anything we can do that can help us gain some points?"_  April added, encouraging everyone to think outside the box.

Kuroko spoke up.  _"He, like the rest, is extremely prone to hurting himself. Because they are still developing their bodies, they can't handle such talent. But I don't think that will help us at the moment, especially since it's only the second minute of the first quarter."_

 _"Then, we need a strategy, and fast."_  Sebastian said, the others vigorously nodding in agreement.

Kuroko bit his thumb, eyes quickly darting to think of a plan that would work against Murasakibara. His eyes then widened, which Kagami picked up on, but then easily faltered as he shook his head, believing that he wasn't ready yet.

But Kagami believed otherwise.  _"Tetsu, what are you thinking about? Do you have anything that can help us?"_

Kuroko looked at Kagami with surprise, wondering how he could have possibly known, and instantly glanced at Alex, who gave the teal an encouraging smile. She nodded subtly, telling him that he was ready, and Kuroko soon decided that it was worth a shot.

_"I was thinking of using one of my new moves against him."_

_"The one you were working on with Alex for the last couple of days?"_ Ben asked and Kuroko nodded.

_"I'm not sure if it will work because I still haven't perfected it, but —"_

_"If it can help score points and break that wall, then we'll go for anything."_  Kagami finished, ruffling Kuroko's hair, and smiled as he brought everyone into a huddle.

 _"And because I believe in this sucker too much, I think I have a plan for us to keep scoring."_ And everyone heard with avid ears.

* * *

When the time-out was over, everyone got into position and Aomine purposely stood next to Kagami, ready to block him.

"I hope you thought of something good. This battle is getting way too boring." Aomine taunted and Kagami glared at him.

"Do you ever shut your mouth?" Kagami retorted, already getting hot-headed, and Aomine shrugged, refusing to give him an answer.

The sound of the whistle signified the restart and Felix took the ball, passing it to Sebastian, who ran up to the net where Murasakibara was waiting.

"Are we really doing this again?" The giant complained as he got into stance, his voice so lazy that his Japanese became almost a slur. "You can't score no matter what you do."

 _"I don't know what you're saying!"_ Sebastian answered back loudly as he jumped and Murasakibara rolled his eyes, holding his arm up to easily block the ball. But the ball never came; in fact, Sebastian never even threw it in the first place. Instead, he passed it to an empty spot, making Murasakibara confused because it seemed to float in thin air.

Then he saw. In fact, everyone did. Those on the court, even Kagami himself, stared with wide eyes as they all saw Kuroko, who was known to never once take the ball to his hands, form a pose that no one had ever seen and prepared to shoot.

Murasakibara, who was completely flabbergasted by the sudden turn of events, didn't know what to do. Kuroko was not one to hold the ball. When it came to misdirection, it was essential that he merely tap it to the right direction and not gain any attention to himself. That was the art of the magic known as misdirection. But shooting required the attention, and the teal would gladly sacrifice it if it meant getting a few points.

There was no way Kuroko would actually shoot the ball, much less make it in. But there was a feeling of dread pooling in Murasakibara's stomach that he couldn't explain and quickly ran towards the smaller man in an attempt to block the shoot.

The teal haired player pushed the ball upwards with all his might, and though Murasakibara was sure that his arms were there to intervene, the ball simply disappeared right before his eyes, and before anyone knew what had happened, there was the sweet sound of a swishing net and buzzer signified two points for Kuroko's team.

It took a moment for everyone in the gym to register what had happened. When they did, the crowd roared in cheers as Kuroko's teammates swamped him with hugs and smiles. Kagami took Kuroko under his wing to give him passionate noogies and jumped up and down in joy.

 _"I knew it! I knew you could do it!"_  Kagami praised, making Kuroko smile in secret.

 _"How did you even do that? The ball just went past his hand, just like that!"_ Eddy said in admiration and Kuroko shrugged.

 _"A magician never reveals his secrets."_  Kuroko answered and everyone tackled him once more.

From there on, the first quarter grew somewhat easier for Kuroko's team.

Tearing down Murasakibara's defense was still as difficult as ever, but with the rise of Kuroko's new invisible shot came the inevitable mistakes to be made. Kagami's plan worked like magic as they began to use Sebastian to their advantage.

His flexible wrists and big, calloused hands came in great handy to move the ball wherever he wanted to. He could easily shoot but if he was blocked, he could switch to a pass without a sweat. Alex had ingrained into his mind that he should always mean every action he did, to make every movement like he was going to do it or else the opponent would never be fooled. So, that's what he did. He shot like a maniac whenever he could, landing him some two and even three pointers, and when Murasakibara was there, he would immediately switch to passing, where Ben or Eddy was.

Slowly but surely, they were catching up. But beating Murasakibara didn't mean the problem was solved. In fact, it didn't even lessen it.

For one, Murasakibara was now beginning to jump to further his chances of blocking the ball, which became even harder to deal with. Kuroko's invisible shot only got him so far because his accuracy was still at an all time low, and they couldn't pass to Kagami because he was dealing with Aomine.

Speaking of, Kagami was officially losing it. No matter what he did or tried, he just couldn't beat the man in front of him. Had Aomine been just a bit nicer, Kagami would have most definitely looked up to him and praised him as a worth opponent. But that obviously wasn't the case and now, Kagami was stuck trying to figure out a way to beat a man that was truly unbeatable.

Every time he got the ball, Aomine was there in a flash to stop him. Whenever he tried to pass or shoot, Aomine was there to steal it. Whenever he tried to block him, Aomine was already on the other side, shooting. It was frustrating to keep up with because it felt like Kagami hadn't improved at all. What was he doing wrong? Why couldn't he beat Aomine?

It was sad, really, because Aomine himself was getting frustrated as well. Here he was, thinking that Kagami would finally be the one to break this cycle of hate inside him, but now, he was only getting let down again. Sure, the red head had improved, significantly at that, but it was still no match for his own skill. He rolled his eyes mentally as he easily passed the African American and shot with barely any glance to the net. He then looked at the scoreboard and saw that five minutes in and they were still ahead by twenty points. It was unsatisfying to see that the Americans didn't have a zero for their score, but he couldn't have all the things he wanted in life, just like an opponent that could match his skill. For now, he would just have the bear the fact that he would never have someone to surpass him.

The only one who could beat him was him, after all, and though he said this phrase too many times to count, it didn't make him feel any better. In fact, it only made him feel worse because Kuroko's life was on the line and even he had to admit that he didn't want to force his former best friend to come back to Japan with them when he clearly didn't want to.

Kuroko was happy here in LA, that much Aomine had to agree on. Hell, if it weren't for his terrible personality, Aomine would have encouraged Kuroko to stay because it truly made the invisible man be seen for once.

But Akashi's orders were absolute, and Aomine was extremely jealous of Kagami and the friendship he had with Kuroko. It was selfish, Aomine knew, but he wanted to have that back.

So, when Kagami tried to pass Aomine, he easily blocked it and stole it without even a blink. Felix and Sebastian were there, double teaming him, and he could hear Kise calling out to him.

"Aominecchi, pass me the ball!"

The tanned man, however, merely glared in response as he quickly feinted and left the two in confusion. He dropped the ball into the net with no trouble whatsoever and glanced at Kise, who looked offended and angry.

"Aominecchi, I told you to pass me the ball!" Kise frowned.

"Why? Because you thought I couldn't handle two newbies double-teaming me? Could that even be called double-teaming?" Aomine responded back with a hiss.

"No, but I was open and I could've easily scored, too. How about you finally realize that you have teammates to use and rely on? Is that so hard to ask?" Kise shouted but Aomine merely passed it off.

"What teammates? I can win this on my own." He concluded and walked away, leaving the blond in a furious state. Midorima didn't even try to calm him down as they game resumed once more.

This time, when the ball went out of bounds, Kise took the ball, easily dribbling past defense.

"Oi, Kise, pass me the ball!" Aomine called out and waited for Kise to pass to him, but the ball never came as Kise did the work himself.

Midorima crossed his arms, his eyebrow raising in questioning, as the ball went in and the Generation of Miracles scored another two points.

"How capable." Midorima said, sarcasm dripping in his tone. Kise merely shrugged, his face hard to read. He wasn't smiling, that was for sure, and if anything, it looked like he was in pain.

Aomine sauntered towards the blond angrily. "Didn't I tell you to pass it to me?" He accused and Kise shrugged once more.

"Well, it looked like you were doing all the work, and I got bored. I wanted to get some action in as well." Kise said with a poker face.

Aomine pulled Kise by the shirt. "I told you I could win on my own."

Kise wasn't having any of this. He pushed his face even closer to Aomine's, and his glare looked like it could definitely kill.

"Well, you're not on your own. If you didn't realize already, we're a  _team._ As in, a group of individuals working towards the same goal, but obviously you didn't get the memo." Kise hissed and Aomine was ready to punch him.

"Guys, stop." Midorima intervened, seeing this pattern millions of times already. "What use will it do for you to fight now? Might I remind you that we have no substitute players, so we have to be on the court the entire time? Even if you fight, it doesn't mean you get to rest, so stop acting like children."

"Why don't you sock it, Midorima? Stop acting like you're on the high road. I know both of you aren't into this game anyways." Aomine then said and both Kise and Midorima's eyes grew wide.

"What did you say?" Midorima asked in surprise.

Aomine glared at them in disgust. "You've softened up too much. You don't want to win, so your hearts aren't in it. Your plays have gotten sloppy and it's like you won't even lift a finger to help."

"As if you even gave us a chance to help you." Kise replied with a dirty look, disregarding Aomine's words. "This entire time, you've been playing by yourself. You've never once looked at us for support."

"Why would I want support from people who don't even want to win?" Aomine accused before leaving. Kise and Midorima look at each other for a second before looking away in guilt. In the end, they couldn't retort Aomine's words because it was true. They didn't want to win, so they weren't putting their absolute best into it.

It was wrong, they knew, because Kuroko's team was putting so much heart and soul into this. But Kuroko deserved a place that loved him, and Japan wasn't it, not with them around. He deserved friends who truly cared about him and who he really wanted to be around with. The Generation of Miracles weren't those friends, and Kise and Midorima didn't want to take that away from him.

They would obviously still play and try to score as much as possible, but the fact remained that they would not play as hard as they normally would. Just as Aomine said, they just didn't have the heart to do so.

The final buzzer rang, signaling the end of the first quarter, and though Kuroko's team did their best to catch up, they were still twenty points behind.

* * *

**_[SECOND QUARTER]_ **

Communication is always key when it comes to team sports. There is always a play and a plan, a move and a calculation. Much like chess, sports require concentration and focus, as well as prediction and intuition. But unlike chess, team sports require so much more.

Team sports is about connecting with your teammates and trusting them wholeheartedly because they might very well be the key to winning. It is about becoming good friends with them and understanding them, laughing and sympathizing with them whenever you can. It is about knowing who to pass to next and understanding that everything is bound to one.

And that was the Generation of Miracles' main shortcoming.

They, unlike Kagami and Kuroko's team, lacked this special connection because they had lost it ages ago. In fact, they hadn't even bothered trying to regain it because they had all believed it was not necessary. But the moment Kuroko shattered Murasakibara's defense and the unease started to sink in, it was beginning to dawn on each member that they could not call themselves a team. They were merely individuals who were forced to be on the same side.

An individual could never beat a group who connected so well with each other. Kuroko and Kagami had a bond with the rest of the members in their group that could not be touched nor tampered with because it was just that strong. With just a glance or a nod, each member knew exactly where they had to go and what they had to do. Each play was intricate, like a spider trapping its prey, and the crowd was sometimes left breathless at how beautifully the ball moved.

Kagami himself began to move like a wave, flowing through the motions and passing every person with ease. He was focused, his eyes locked on a single goal, but his movements were more fluid and his expression gave the impression of a calm before a storm. His true powers were yet to show but he gave the game a glimmer of hope. With everyone there to support him, teammates and audience alike, he felt like he could go beyond and move past his limits.

Kagami could not have asked for better teammates and was blessed to be here with them right now. They were already marred with sweat, having played so preposterously in the first quarter, but now that they got a grip on just how ridiculous the Generation of Miracles were, they were now better prepared. Kagami's team was far behind but they weren't losing hope just yet. There was still had a long way to go before the game ended.

As Eddy gave the redhead a smile as he passed the ball, he took it to his heart to make this match the most unforgettable. He was blocked by Kise, who looked like he didn't know how to act, and Kagami used that hesitation to quickly bypass him, a move he learned from Himuro himself. Himuro was always good at feinting.

He was later blocked by Aomine, whom he still had difficulty with. Aomine could match up with Kagami easily, and surpass him most of the time, but the red-head already knew that much. But what Aomine didn't know was how much Kagami had changed. He was more perceptive and learned from his past mistakes. The first quarter was just a dip in the pool, testing the waters to see what worked and what didn't. Kagami now knew for sure that he wasn't ready to face the tanned man alone, so he decided on another route to lead them to victory.

As Aomine reached for the ball to steal it, Kagami feinted into shooting and instead passed it to Ben, who was waiting for it. Immediately, as if he had copied Midorima's shooting style, he threw the ball and it went in smoothly, earning them another three points.

"Relying on your teammates? How weak can you get?" Aomine sneered, secretly annoyed that he couldn't block it, but Kagami merely shrugged.

"That's what basketball is about, isn't it?" He responded as he got ready to move into position. "What's the point in having a team if you're not even going to rely on them?"

Aomine's eyes widened a fraction and found that he couldn't retort to that. He decided not to dwell on it. Kise had the ball and was dribbling, trying to find a way out, and Aomine called out to give it to him.

But Kise was reluctant. It almost looked like he wanted to do everything on his own. Aomine grew angry at the thought because that should've been his job.

"Oi, Kise, give me the goddamn ball and let me do all the shooting!" Aomine yelled but Kise didn't listen to him as he passed Sebastian easily. He got ready to do a layup and Aomine merely rolled his eyes, but soon realized that the man he was guarding, Kagami, was now out of his sight. Instead, the red head was already jumping in front of Kise and pushed the ball away from him, making it land in Eddy's hands.

 _"Nice block, Tiger!"_  Eddy commented with a cheer as he then passed it to Felix. Aomine insulted Kise in his head for being such an idiot and ran as fast as he could to where the ball was. Murasakibara was still guarding but with Kuroko right in front of him, he was hesitating on what to do.

Felix began to jump to make a three pointer, which Murasakibara easily intercepted by unintentionally jumping, but Felix never imagined to actually shoot. Instead, he gave it to Sebastian, who was waiting on the sideline, and did a smooth layup, getting them another two points.

Aomine growled, his annoyance reaching a peak as he saw that the point difference was gradually getting smaller when it should have been increasing instead. He went up to Kise, who looked confused, and pushed him unkindly.

"What was that for?" Kise exclaimed in shock and then his face wrinkled in anger. Everyone on the court seemed to freeze as they saw the two interact. Even the crowd's cheering dimmed as they began to feel the tense atmosphere between them.

"I told you to give me the fucking ball. I could've easily made it in."

"So could I. You just didn't defend Kagamicchi well enough. If you had done your job properly, we would've made the point."

"So now you're blaming me for your lack of talent?"

"My talent is just as good as yours, so will you lay off?" Kise retorted.

"Guys, will you stop fighting?" Murasakibara tried to intervene but Aomine instead laid his anger onto the bigger player.

"Will you stop worrying about Tetsu? Just keep blocking, even if it costs you your life." Aomine berated, leaving Murasakibara in a state of annoyance.

"What's your problem? If you think you can do better than me, then go ahead." Murasakibara said childishly, starting to walk away from the net, but Akashi stopped him immediately.

"Get back to your place, Atsushi."

"But Aka-chin, Mine-chin just—"

Akashi stopped him. "I know what Daiki just said, and I will deal with him. Just get back to your place." He ordered and Murasakibara pouted but said nothing more, reverting back. Akashi soon caught up with Aomine, who was muttering angrily to himself, and grabbed him by the shoulder.

Aomine stopped but didn't turn around to face Akashi. "What do you want?"

"Your actions are intolerable. I expected you to at least handle this like an adult but all I'm seeing is a spoilt toddler."

"Yeah, well how about you get your captain shit together and start ordering those idiots around to do better?" Aomine said without thinking and stopped short when he could physically feel Akashi's glare from behind.

"Excuse me?" Akashi asked, his tone not to be dealt with, and Aomine took a deep breath to calm himself down.

"Just let me do my own thing." Aomine replied and before Akashi could get another word with him, the referee blew his whistle, telling them to either request a time-out or get on with the game.

 _"Um, are they ok?"_  Eddy asked timidly as the rest looked with worried eyes, but even Kagami was speechless, unable to give him a concrete answer.

 _"I honestly don't know."_ Kagami answered and Kuroko pressed his lips into a thin line, not liking what he was seeing. But before he could voice his own thoughts to the matter, the match resumed and he and the others were surprised to see how terrible the Generation of Miracles began to play.

The ball, the main attention of the entire sport, was going around haphazardly with no specific pattern. To a bystander, it looked as if the Generation of Miracles were purposely doing this to confuse their opponents and get the final shot in, but to those who actually knew the game and the players, they could tell how random and uncoordinated they were. It was as if the five were fighting to get the ball but not to actually get the shot in.

Whenever Kise got the ball, Aomine would slap it out of his hand for his own benefit, which would immediately get stolen by Midorima to shoot, who would then be mocked by Murasakibara. Whenever Aomine got the ball, Kise would trail behind, eager to get the ball away from him, and would ensure a drop in focus to get the ball in. Whenever Midorima got the ball, the same pattern appeared.

It was as if the Generation of Miracles were fighting each other, completely disregarding Kagami and Kuroko's team. For the Japanese, this was a time to compete to see who could get the most points in, if any. For Kagami and Kuroko, this was an opportunity to catch up.

And catch up they did.

In every moment of confusion or distraction from the talented five, Felix or Ben would be there to steal the ball and pass it to their teammates to earn them points. Kagami was always there to be their support and when he would be blocked, his teammates would support him instead. Kuroko himself did an immense amount of work, especially against Murasakibara, who began to take defense more seriously. His invisible shot worked wonders, and though his accuracy wasn't perfect, it was still enough to earn his team both more points and more hope.

Slowly, ever so slowly, due to the Generation of Miracles' lack of communication and teamwork, due to their constant mistakes and mishaps, the point difference decreased every few seconds and finally, they were able to get it to an eight point difference.

* * *

Aomine, obviously, was more than unhappy to see the score board. He began to blame it all on his former teammates, especially the blond who decided that today would be the day to make his life even more hellish.

As he stole the ball from Kagami from their one-on-one, he ran as fast as he could to the net, where Midorima was waiting. The green-haired man raised his arms, as if to gesture to pass the ball to him, but Aomine ignored it and got ready to shoot.

Kise, however, was feeling more frustrated than ever. Every single time, since the moment their talents bloomed, Aomine would always have the ball. He never looked at anyone other than himself and it hurt to know that his idol never once acknowledged him. The frustration just kept building and building.

Before Aomine could shoot, Kise snuck up on him and took the ball away from him, ready to shoot on his own.

Aomine cracked, the glass shattering inside his mind. Without thinking, he punched Kise straight in the jaw.

The loud crack that emanated from Aomine's knuckles rang throughout the entire gym and the crowd grew silent in shock as they witnessed Kise flying to the ground. The referee blew his whistle with all his might and marched up to Aomine with a furious look to his face.

 _"Number 6, foul! No violence on the court!"_  He yelled but Aomine wasn't listening. He was frozen instead, looking at his knuckle with wide eyes. He then darted his attention to Kise, who was still lying on the ground, holding his jaw, more in surprise than hurt. Kuroko and Midorima ran over to him to check if he was ok, and Kise shook them off.

"I'm fine. I just need a minute." Kise said, his voice a bit dazed. Kuroko glared at Aomine, mentally asking him how he could do such a thing, and Akashi took this moment to finally call a time-out.

Akashi had enough of this play. He thought the Generation of Miracles could handle this situation by themselves without his having to intervene, just like old times, but it was obvious that this hands-off method wasn't going to work anymore. Was it because they had too many cracks in their teamwork that they couldn't play like old times?

Whatever it was, Akashi had to stop this. The point difference was getting too small for Akashi's liking and regardless of what outcome Kuroko had to face in the end, Akashi would never lose.

April quickly brought Kuroko a rag soaked in ice water, which he gratefully took, and gave it to Kise, who still held his jaw. Kise appreciated the action, taking the rag and placing it onto his face, and moved to the other side of court where the Generation of Miracles were regrouping.

Kise took this chance to face Aomine head on.

"What the fuck was that for?" Kise shouted. "Why the hell would you punch your own goddamn teammate?"

"Why the fuck did you take away my goddamn ball? How about we start with that instead, huh?" Aomine shouted back, his glare intense enough to made some people in the crowd cower.

"As if you haven't been doing that this entire quarter. I am sick and tired of you constantly saying that you're the best and that you're going to get all the points. You're not the only one playing, Aomine." Kise pointed out, forgetting to add his regular -cchi suffix.

"Stop, this is getting us nowhere. Why are you fighting with your own teammate?" Midorima asked, trying to relieve some of the tension, but Aomine paid him no heed.

"It's not my fault Kise stole the ball away. If he had just stayed away and minded his own goddamn business, this would've never happened."

"You're not the only one here, Aomine." Midorima narrowed his eyes, saying the exact same thing Kise said.

Aomine could feel more glass breaking, the sound loud enough to make him wince. The headache was back again.

"Who the fuck cares? I do not, for the sake of my life, give a flying fuck whether you guys are here or not. We all know I'm the best player out of all of us. Just let me do my own thing, will you?" Aomine angrily replied.

Midorima, however, wasn't taking that for an answer. "We are on the same team." He stressed. "We are here to win, not to prove who is the better player. Because of your arrogance, our opponents are now catching up to us. What's the point in proving yourself something as worthless as this when we can't even shoot the ball anymore?"

"Then maybe you should all the just stay out of my way!" Aomine roared, kicking the bench chair. "Just give me the goddamn ball and I'll make up for the points we lost. How is that so hard to understand?"

Kise and Midorima was just about to squabble, making the atmosphere even worse, but was immediately shut up by Akashi's one remark.

"Fine." The red emperor said, calm and collected, and the the team looked at him with surprised eyes, even Aomine, who was the one to propose the idea in the first place.

"What?" Midorima breathed out in astonishment.

"Akashicchi, what are you saying?" Kise said at the same time, his hands trembling.

Even Murasakibara looked shocked, and he didn't even have anything to do with the fight.

Akashi stared at Aomine with unreadable eyes. "From here on out, Daiki will have full control of the ball. Pass to him every time."

"But —"

"No objections. Daiki, are you confident in your skill to win without any help?"

Aomine began to smile cruelly, looking at Kise and Midorima with a haughty stare. "Definitely."

"And what makes you so sure?" Akashi replied and Aomine gave him one of the most arrogant smiles anyone had ever seen.

"The only one who can beat me is me." He simply answered and though everyone else in the group was protesting, Akashi nodded.

"You will not disappoint me, Daiki." The captain ordered and Aomine bared his teeth in cynical happiness.

"I won't."

At the time, it seemed like this was best option for the Generation of Miracles to win. Aomine always had a winning streak when it came to basketball and though he could never beat Akashi, he had a talent that even the red-haired captain could not deny. Aomine could score anytime at any form, and that would be the easiest and most effective way of winning.

At the time, it seemed like the best option.

But Akashi miscalculated just how much that affect the others. Though he predicted that Murasakibara would have no objections to this order, he never expected Kise and Midorima to resent it completely. Later on, he would regret making this decision because the moment he allowed it, the moment he decided to throw any teamwork and rely on Aomine only, he lost two very precious members of the team.

Kise and Midorima would no longer play their best, and just like that, the Generation of Miracles crumbled from five talented players to only three.

* * *

"I didn't think it would be this bad." Kagami commented as he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. He and his team were waiting for the time out to end, catching their breath and reviewing their game plan. Kagami stared at the mess that was happening on the other side of the court and couldn't help but feel bad for them.

Kuroko nodded solemnly to Kagami's statement. "Neither did I. I had a feeling that they would not be able to work as a team because it had been so long, but I didn't think it would affect their plays this much." He then laid his eyes on Akashi, who was talking without much movement.

"Akashi-kun has done nothing for this quarter, but I am afraid that it will only get harder from here."

Kagami nodded, predicting that much. "I just hope I don't have to deal with his freaky future power. It's already a pain to deal with the rest." He then smiled as he ruffled Kuroko's hair.

Kuroko immediately tried to swat it away. "What was that for?"

"Heh, if it wasn't for you and your cool invisible shot, we never would've been able to catch with them this quickly. Yeah, we're still a bit behind but that shot got everyone's hopes up, and that's what's making them so hyped up and ready to go."

Kuroko gave him a small smile. "I'm glad to be of help." He then grimaced as he saw Kise and Midorima getting shut down by the red-head. "They have to know how essential it is to work as a team. We have to win so that they understand that."

Kagami nodded. "Don't worry. We will."

* * *

But maybe Kagami spoke too soon.

He regretted making such a promise as the game resumed and wondered if he jinxed the game by saying such a thing because their hopes of getting more points were reducing unmeasurably quickly.

As Kagami tried to track Aomine's moves and gestures with the ball, only to be tricked and confounded as Aomine passed him to make another shot, only then did the red head begin to realize Kuroko's utter desperation to win. This was no longer a match to get Kuroko to stay in the US with him; it was also a match to get the Generation of Miracles off their high horse and realize that they weren't kings.

He watched his surroundings as Eddy got the ball and tried to pass to Felix, who was waiting on the other side. Aomine immediately snuck up on them and stole it easily, not even glancing at them as he dribbled to net. Kagami ran to block him but he was a second too late as Aomine merely threw the ball to get it in.

Not one movement from the rest. Murasakibara just stood there, yawning and stretching his arms in what looked like fake fatigue, and Kise and Midorima seemed out of spirit. They just stood there with spiteful looks on their faces, their hands itching to play but with invisible shackles pulling them down. Akashi was as quiet as ever.

The squabbling was gone, leaving Kagami's team with no openings to steal. The ball would always go to Aomine and it would have to take an equally skilled monster to catch up to him. Their chances of winning was reducing too easily.

The pattern continued. It didn't matter who had the ball first, whether it was a Generation of Miracle or not. In the end, Aomine always had the ball and always made the shot. Murasakibara no longer had to guard because there was no one to block and the other members of the team constantly passed the ball to the tanned man, doing nothing to make the shot themselves.

This kind of play frustrated Kagami for three reasons.

The obvious one was that he still couldn't match up to Aomine's skill. Every second he had with Aomine was like torture because the prize was just within reach and Aomine was doing everything he could to prevent Kagami from getting it. It was even more difficult now that only Aomine was doing the work.

Which led Kagami to his second reason: the fact that the Generation of Miracles were so messed up that some of their players would actually lose their will to play. What Kagami truly wanted was a game in which everyone played their hardest, and it frustrated him that the Generation of Miracles were so cruel to each other that they would actively bring each other down. Kise and Midorima clearly had no motivation to take the match seriously anymore, and it wasn't due to Kagami's team playing badly. In fact, they were pouring everything they had into this match. But it was because of Aomine's selfish request to always get the ball himself that crushed the spirits from two of the most driven people Kagami knew. It hurt to know that a player from your own team could consciously do that.

The third and final reason for Kagami's frustration was the game itself. Regardless of what Kagami thought of before, he still wanted to win. He wanted to win with Kuroko and the rest of his team because they were genuinely good. Better than good, they were exceptional. But Aomine was making a fool out of them by turning this basketball match into a toddler's game. The point difference began to grow and it frustrated Kagami that he couldn't do anything to stop it. He was the ace, the pillar. This match was making him question if he was really any good at basketball, and the thought hurt. He never once doubted himself and his love for basketball, but as he got torn down again and again by just one person, not even the entire team, it made him question just how much he lacked and if he could ever amount to such talent.

Maybe that's why Kuroko had stopped playing in middle school. When he and Kuroko had first gotten to know each other, the phantom man had vaguely mentioned how he had stopped playing but had never actually elaborated why. Before Kagami couldn't even imagine a world without Kuroko refusing to hold the ball. Now, Kagami could picture himself in Kuroko's shoes, constantly having to deal with the Generation of Miracles, especially with their aggrandizing, selfish ideologies. It was no wonder Kuroko quit. Kagami would have as well.

The red head breathed raggedly as he kept trying to fight Aomine in a one-on-one. The tanned man merely smirked as he passed him time and time again. Sure, Kagami's team was still making points but it was nothing compared to what Aomine was doing.

Aomine was scoring everything, without the help from any of his teammates.

Kuroko began to grow even desperate than before because this was exactly what Kuroko wanted to prevent. The tanned ace had learned nothing from middle school because his ideology was only getting proven again — that he was the best and no one could stop him — and Kuroko was so desperate to disprove it.

The teal tried to look at this match from a different angle in an attempt to stop Aomine. The biggest thing he decided to was to help Kagami because it was obviously that his trusted friend didn't have the strength to beat him alone. The red-head was the ace but that didn't mean his teammates couldn't support him from behind. If he could help Kagami, then surely Aomine would realize how important it was to work as a team. If he could stop Aomine with Kagami's power, then surely the tanned man would realize what Kuroko had always been wanting to show him all this time.

So with that, when Aomine jumped to make a formless shot and Kagami jumped as well to block it, Kuroko ran to them, jumping with his friend for extra support. The red-head was a bit surprised but got a surge of confidence as he saw how hard his best friend was working.

"We cannot let you win like this!" The teal-head shouted, his voice trembling from the deepening anxiety that was bestowed in his mind, and imitated Kagami's form to get a better blocking sense.

"We will win!" Kagami shouted with him, holding desperately onto this last hope.

But that didn't deter Aomine in the slightest. In fact, he looked down on Kuroko with a nasty glare.

"Even with you here, you can't beat me, Tetsu." Aomine rebutted as he easily surpassed them by returning the ball to his palm and turning around midair. Everyone watched with wide eyes as he passed the light and shadow duo with no trouble. He then threw the ball carelessly and it still ended up passing through the net. The buzzer sounded, earning the Generation of Miracles two-points and both Kagami and Kuroko ended up on the ground, their bottoms hitting the floor with a loud bang.

Kuroko met Aomine's stare with fear and dejection, but the Generation of Miracles' ace returned it with a look of disappointment.

"Is that really all you got, Tetsu?" He asked, not bothering to help him stand. Kagami just stayed there, dumbfounded.

"I—I just—" Kuroko couldn't finish his sentence.

Aomine rolled his eyes. "The only one who can beat me is me. Just accept it already. You're too weak to face me, even if you have the support of two or four or even a hundred people. You can never match up to me. Just give it up."

Kuroko shook his head, trying his best not to let Aomine's words get to him. "No, no, I will not. I— I cannot. I—" He stuttered but his hands were shaking. Aomine, though he clearly saw such a distressed Kuroko, merely said nothing. Kagami, in seeing it as well, shook himself out of his stupor and moved to protect the teal-head from Aomine's venomous words.

"We still have a chance, Aomine. Don't look down on us." Kagami hissed but Aomine merely laughed.

"Really? But your position says otherwise." He said, exaggerating his disappointed stare by further looking down on them. Kagami glared but couldn't say anything back to his retort.

The referee blew his whistle and called out a time-out. When the players saw that it was Alex who called it, Kagami helped Kuroko up and guided him back to their side of the court.

The teal was silent.

Everyone started patting themselves furiously with towels. Eddy grasped his over his mouth and breathed as deeply as he could, trying to catch his breath.

 _"It pisses me off that the dude isn't even sweating."_  He commented with a ragged voice, taking a glance at Aomine, who was leisurely taking a sip of his water.

 _"It pisses me off even more that he's the only one playing, and actually doing better than all of us combined. I knew he was a monster but I didn't think he would be_ this  _much of a monster. What do we do?"_ Ben grumbled before taking a large gulp of his water.

Alex merely bit her thumb, trying to think of plays to counter Aomine's overwhelming power.

 _"Tiger, can't you do something about him?"_ Felix asked, but Kagami shook his head.

_"I don't even know anymore. I'm doing my best to keep up with him but it's honestly straining me too much. I can't match up to him, no matter what I do."_

_"Then, what do we do? How can we win?"_  Sebastian despaired.  _"Are we really that powerless to stop one person? What are we even playing for anymore?"_

Kagami's eyes widened at Sebastian's remark and he immediately punched him.

 _"We're playing for us, Sebastian. We're playing to protect our friend."_  Kagami corrected as he pointed at Kuroko, who was still mute.

Kagami grew worried.  _"Tetsu?"_  He asked quietly.  _"Are you ok?"_ The others looked with concern as well.

Kuroko's voice was hushed, barely audible in such a noisy atmosphere. But to the team, they could hear him loud and clear.

 _"What are we even playing for?"_  Kuroko repeated, his eyes closed but visibly trembling.  _"What's the point in trying when everything we do is worth nothing?"_

 _"Tetsu!"_  Kagami shouted in disbelief, the others chiming in, but they all fell on deaf ears.

Kuroko's fits clenched.  _"We try and try, we bring in so much to the match with such a bond and connection that the other team cannot even hope to gain, but when it is crushed by a single opponent, is this bond even worth it? How strong can a team's connection be to beat one person? How much more do I have to give to make him realize how basketball isn't a one man sport? I just— I don't know what to do anymore."_  And that was when the first tears came out.

Kuroko then sobbed. Sobbed because it was so frustrating. Sobbed because he feared the worst and was now beginning to lose hope. Sobbed because he was afraid of losing such a bright future by forcefully moving back to the one place he hated to go back to.

He sobbed because he was losing his determination to win.

The first one to hug him was none other than Kagami himself. He yanked Kuroko towards him and let his head rest on Kagami's broader shoulder. Kuroko grabbed onto his shirt and cried even harder. Kagami wrapped his arm around Kuroko and said nothing. Eddy joined in, covering his body onto the smaller man. Ben and Sebastian took the remaining spaces while Felix began to pat Kuroko on the back with a wistful look to his face. Himuro looked away, not knowing what to do or say.

 _"We're playing to protect our friend."_ Kagami then said, breaking the cycle of Kuroko's tears. The teal gripped his shirt even tighter and refused to show his face, but his breathing slowed down and the shaking stopped. Kagami held onto Kuroko even harder, as if to reassure him that no one was disappearing.

_"We're playing to win."_

* * *

The Generation of Miracles all saw the heart wrenching scene of Kuroko, strong, brave Kuroko, breaking down for the first time, but when the match resumed, no one mentioned it. No one dared to because doing so meant that they were admitting to doing wrong. They also didn't because they didn't want to physically feel their hearts being torn.

Aomine was the most affected, though he didn't show it. He knew that he was the cause of Kuroko's pain. He knew because Kuroko had once told him outright once, when they were in middle school. The weather had been as terrible as the mood, the rain pouring over their heads in loud crashes. Kuroko had told him that the basketball play Aomine was doing was not right, but he had merely shoved it aside and in turn, lost a once great friendship.

This play he was doing right now was not helping the situation as well. With no one to rely on and still being able to score and get ahead, Aomine's ego kept getting bigger and it was getting to his head. Talent truly crushed teamwork, he kept realizing, and it killed him to see that his point was getting proven again and again.

Kuroko crying never left his mind as he passed Kagami for the umpteenth time. How long had it been since he felt any thrill from basketball, a sport he once loved with all his heart? How long had it been since he was happy to play? How long had it been since he actually had to rely on his friends to help them win?

When would someone come and kick his ass already?

Aomine despaired, but not as much as Kagami in that moment. Kagami didn't know Kuroko as long as the Generation of Miracles had, but he was pretty damn close to understanding him on a personal level.

For one, he knew how much Kuroko loved basketball. Loved it so much because he was able to experience so many good things in life while playing it. Basketball was more than just a sport to the teal-head; it was a blessing because, in a world where no one could see him, basketball did. From friends to skill to lifelong memories, basketball gave it all, and Kuroko would never be able to repay the sport enough for it.

So when Kuroko broke down into tears, he was giving it a tragic message.  _I'm sorry,_  he seemed to say,  _but I don't have anything to give anymore. I cannot repay you anymore._

Kuroko had given so much already, Kagami knew. He had sacrificed so much to get to this level, and Kagami believed that Kuroko had given enough to the sport. But he knew that to truly make Kuroko happy, they would have to beat the Generation of Miracles.

He didn't want to see Kuroko crying.

He didn't want to see Kuroko suffering.

He didn't want to see Kuroko losing his love for basketball.

What could he do to prevent it? What could he do to give Kuroko his hope back?

What could he do  _win_?

The answer was simple, really.

It was to beat Aomine.

* * *

When Aomine got the ball from an unmoving Kise, ignoring his obvious look of disgust, he was immediately met with Kagami's fiery red eyes. Aomine hesitated for a second, surprised by such an abrupt atmospheric change in the redhead, but shrugged it off because he was so sure that he would merely pass him again.

But this time, it didn't happen.

It was as if a switch had been turned on in Kagami, something to give him a surge of power. When Aomine moved left, Kagami was there as well, still guarding. When Aomine changed the direction of the ball by moving it back and forth, Kagami's hands were just within reach to steal it. When Aomine took a step forward or back, Kagami was there to match.

He didn't understand how this was possible. He had constantly pushed Kagami down before, to the point where it would surely break a normal person. Even if Aomine admitted that Kagami was a talented man, he still couldn't comprehend the sudden surge of energy and passion that motivated Kagami to go beyond his already immeasurable strength.

So what was it?

To Kagami's friends, it was obvious. Too obvious that it was laughable.

What else was there to consider other than the bond between Kagami and Kuroko? So high, so cherished, and so strong that even the clueless of the bunch could see it. It was there; every time either of them felt down or depressed, the other would always be there to cheer them up. Sometimes, they didn't even have to be physically there to help. Their bond was that strong, so much so that it would be offensive to try and describe it with words.

Kagami's teammates, Kuroko especially, watched at the scenario that unfurled before them. They couldn't even see Aomine anymore as Kagami's aura grew brighter and brighter. The red light that glowed behind him began to take up the entire court and the crowd chattered excitedly, ready to see some change. Someway or another, a chant began, the word  _Tiger_  jumping around the gymnasium everywhere.

Kagami didn't even look like he was listening, however. He was in his prime, his zone, as he and Aomine started their one-on-one match once more. His breathing slowed and he realized that his stomach was empty, the food he had downed before all gone. But he wasn't feeling hungry; in fact, he was feeling more satiated than ever. His mind was empty as well. No, it wasn't empty. It was clear. Clear like the LA ocean on a very sunny day.

He lost sight of his teammates but that didn't matter at the moment because there was only one thing to focus on. It was like Aomine was on slow-mo because Kagami could see the ball. Unlike before, when Kagami could barely keep up, he now could. He could see the ball, keep up with Aomine's actions, and most importantly, pressure the tanned man to the point where he became almost predictable. Kagami could now comprehend the patterns of Aomine's once erratic motions and for the first time since the match started, when Aomine moved in for the kill, Kagami was there to interrupt it.

For the first time since the match began, Kagami stole the ball. Stole it and dunked right before Aomine's eyes.

Aomine had tried to block and jumped right as Kagami did as well. But Aomine fell first. Kagami, on the other hand, seemed to fly. In a blink of an eye, which took far longer than Aomine realized, Kagami pushed through with a powerful dunk over his head, and there was a loud thunk of his butt hitting the ground. A beat later, Kagami's light feet would follow.

The tables had turned. It was now Kagami looking at him from above, but with a hand extended as a sign of mutual rivalry, not superiority.

"Sorry, I used more power than I should have." Kagami said, waiting for Aomine to take hold of his hand to help him stand.

But Aomine was prideful, and hateful as well. He shoved the hand away and got up himself.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Aomine muttered but couldn't distinguish whether he was talking to Kagami or himself.

From there on, until the very end of the second quarter, the two aces fought in sparks and flames. Everywhere they went, there were blue and red clashes, so beautiful and intricate that it was like watching a painter masterfully create brushstrokes that would eventually lead to a painting worth millions. Aomine would sometimes shoot and Kagami would as well, and while the Generation of Miracles were still in the lead, hope was not lost for Kagami and Kuroko's. If anything, they were now catching up, and quickly so.

Aomine didn't understand, none of this did. Aomine knew he was the stronger of the two, much so. It didn't matter that Kagami could now match his steps because Aomine could easily overpass that. He never was using his full power to begin with, but now that he was (and he was secretly happy that for once, he could go all out), the difference was obvious.

But it didn't make sense that Kagami's team was still scoring. And it further confused him that Kagami was still there, passing what should have been his limit ages ago.

So what was going on?

The secret relied on the two team's way of playing. Unlike the Generation of Miracles, who were leaving everything to their ace, Kagami's team was there to support him in any way they possible could. Sometimes, when the ball was smacked out of either's hand, Felix was sure to go to that very spot and catch it for Kagami to have once more. When it looked like Kagami had no escape route, Ben would be lurking in the corner, ready to become the second Kagami, even if it were just for a second. When Murasakibara was more trouble than Aomine was, Sebastian was there to wrestle the giant and distract him for as many seconds as he possibly could to let Kagami score. When Kagami was getting tired, Eddy was there to back him up.

And when Kagami needed it the most, Kuroko was always there to pass the ball. Their words were unspoken, the only communication present and needed being their eye contact, and it was as if they were breathing as one. Kagami couldn't see his teammates but he could see Kuroko. It was ironic, since Kuroko was the always invisible one both on and off the court, but now, Kagami could definitely see him.

And it was perfect. Their coordination, their various plays, and their utilization of Kuroko's quirk to maximize accuracy on Kagami's part and confusion on Aomine's.

Communication is key when it comes to team sports, and Kagami and Kuroko had it. That unspoken communication that could only arise from immense trust and unbreakable friendship.

It was everything that the Generation of Miracles had wanted but refused to admit.

It was what Kise had wanted the most.

Though Aomine couldn't see it because no one had yet knocked him down his high horse, it was plainly there to see for someone who had lost as much as Kise had. Kagami and Kuroko's play reminded the blond so much of their times in middle school, and how his friendship was with the rest of the Generation of Miracles.

He remembered the times they fought and made up with burgers; the days some of the tried to get out of basketball practice, only to be caught and severely punished; the moments in which every match was exhilarating to witness and exciting to play with the rest of the team. Kise grew teary-eyed and Midorima couldn't blame him.

What were they doing, Midorima wondered. When had they reached such a low that they were ordered to be excluded from playing by their own teammate? What happened to the good times?

He wanted Kagami to win. They both did.

But more importantly, they both wanted Aomine to fall.

* * *

Eventually, he did.

Kagami and Aomine had been at it for ages, their auras shining as bright as the sun that shone outside in the summer. It was almost blinding to watch but no one could take their eyes off them. Surely, someone would slip up in the end and that would ultimately decide the outcome of the second quarter.

And, surprisingly, it was Aomine who got his downfall first.

Maybe it was because he relied on his power a bit too much, or maybe it was because he had lost sight of what was pure and true. Maybe it was both, maybe it was neither, but the fact remained that he had no more stamina to compete. The last few minutes, while the most thrilling Aomine had had in years, was also the most brutal as every second he fought Kagami, his strength depleted even more.

It could have been saved if only he had the support from his teammates, but he had thrown that away long, long ago.

With only a few seconds left, Aomine tried to muster every ounce of strength he had to block Kagami and by the looks of it, Kagami himself was getting tired. Using that to his advantage, Aomine stole the ball and ran to the other side, where Kise coincidentally stood. He should have passed it to the blond and take the pride of winning to the rest of the quarters. He should have passed it to the person whose stamina and talent was at its peak and recover for longer so that he could last for the next two sets.

He should have relied on his teammates — his friends — just a bit more.

But he didn't.

Instead, Aomine passed Kise without sparing a glance and got ready to jump to do a layup, but his legs stopped abruptly, rendering the tanned man shocked and unmoving. There it was: his overexertion.

Eddy took that moment to take the ball away and pass it to Kagami, who was waiting from behind. Kagami, equally tired, decided that enough was enough and passed to Felix, who was waiting by the three pointer line. Though he was surprised to suddenly get the ball, he was also grateful and easily shot a three-pointer, making the score difference only a few points now.

Aomine would not stand for this. He just wouldn't. He would not let something he had thrown away ages ago end up biting him in the ass and teach him a lesson. He would show everyone how useless teamwork could be in the face of pure, unreserved talent.

He didn't care that he was breaking his body by doing this. He willed his tired legs to move once more, to actually run faster than the wind, and while Kagami was huffing for breath, Aomine passed him with his shadow just barely able to catch up.

Kuroko and the rest stared with wide eyes as Aomine quickly got the ball and shot it in before anyone could even react.

He stared down at the teal with a terrible glare and he forced his stamina to hold out for just a bit longer.

"It doesn't matter what you do, Tetsu. In the end, I'll always win. Teamwork isn't enough to get you to win. It never was." Aomine said, his words all jabbing Kuroko in the heart.

Kuroko almost believed it. Just for a second, with the timer running on an all time low, Kuroko was about to agree.

But agreeing would mean disregarding all the hard work that Kagami did up to this point. So he merely shook his head and gave him a smile.

"You are wrong, Aomine-kun." He replied and the ball was passed to him by Sebastian. Aomine looked at him skeptically, about to steal the ball away from Kuroko, but in an instant the ball disappeared. A gush of wind tickled Aomine's cheek and when the ace turned to see where it had went, he saw with wide eyes that it landed straight to Kagami's hands, ready for action.

"We will show you." Kuroko ended as Aomine could visibly see the sweat and tiredness that laced Kagami's features dissipating immediately. The redhead began to run to the net to make the final shot, no obstacles to weigh him down.

Aomine wouldn't let him. He wouldn't — couldn't — let Kuroko and Kagami prove their point by making the final shot before the final buzzer for the second quarter.

"Move, Murasakibara! Fucking move! This one's mine!" Aomine yelled in a frenzy, and the purple-haired giant, offended and confused, reluctantly did as he was told. He moved aside, letting Kagami in, and Aomine got to the post before the redhead.

"I'm not letting you!" The desperate ace shouted as he got into a blocking stance. Kagami stopped short, taking a step back with the ball still dribbling.

Kagami was tired. Very tired. The clearness in his head was now turning murky and grey, and he was slowly losing his focus as everything turned blurry. His legs were practically on fire. But his determination still burned strong and he needed to do this.

For his team.

For Kuroko.

So he jumped. His legs begged him not to, but he couldn't back away now. He would later regret this decision, he was sure, but with the adrenaline still pumping in his veins, Kagami pushed back any pain he was feeling and let it all go.

Aomine followed Kagami's action and before Kagami could make the dunk, Aomine's hand stopped him. The two were in an arial battle, neither willing to give up but both in a state of over fatigue.

If only he had more strength, Kagami despaired. If only he had more power.

And then he realized that he did. But not within him. Outside.

Not letting any more time slip away, he grasped the ball with all his might and pulled away from the battle, making Aomine's eyes grow wide with shock. Without enough support to counterattack, Aomine was forced to watch the play between Kagami and Eddy, who became the lucky person to get the ball.

The African American smiled immensely as the plan grew clear. Just as the buzzer rang, Eddy jumped up and slammed the ball right in, finally making the points equal on both sides.

Kagami's team had finally caught up.

They finally had a chance now.

Aomine was left on the ground, almost dying from the lack of oxygen in his lungs. Kagami was the same, his legs giving out on him and making him lie on the floor without much elegance.

Kuroko and the others rushed to his aid and helped the redhead to his feet. They hugged him, cheered at the spectacle that was the second quarter, ruffled his sweat-drenched head, and Kuroko gave him the most uplifting compliment he could every receive.

"Thank you." Kuroko said with a smile that spoke wonders, and Kagami smiled as widely as he could, exhaustion be damned.

"Any time." Kagami replied and the team hobbled slowly to the benches where April and Alex would be waiting with big smiles and various hugs to give.

Aomine, on the other hand, was left alone, no one to help him up. Kise and Midorima spared him a side glance while Murasakibara and Akashi didn't even react to the fall. Aomine ended up having to pick himself up from the floor, devoid of any encouragement or support from his own teammates, and there it was.

Finally, Aomine felt it.

The crushing defeat, the impending jealousy, and the longing for some company.

He finally felt it. His fall from his high horse.

And he was grateful.

So, so grateful.

And thus, the second quarter ended, with more excitement to come.

 


End file.
